A General Melee
by capsarchick
Summary: Four friends celebrate the retirement of one of their own through hijinks and hoopla at an Air Force Base Note: I do not own any character and this is based upon the cartoon/comic universe created by Larry Hama and Marvel Comics. I will be posting additions as I write them and I wholeheartedly enjoy every review that you send me. Some of the ideas, make it into the stories.
1. Chapter 1

"WooHoo!" came the shouts as the four men in a jeep barreled down the runway at New Mexico's Kirtland AFB followed just as quickly by several white and blue Air Force Security Police cars flashing blue lights.

"Damn Sparky! I forgot how much fun this was." yelled the taller of the four men as he and the others fired off shots from their issue .45 caliber ACP andtook a drink from the silver flask being passed from soldier to soldier.

The four men typically had to be the altarpieces of military decorum and men of honor, but, for tonight, threw out the rule book. One of the four were returning to civilian life. It was time for him to move on and these four were going to send him off in style. For one night, they were dispensing with propriety, appropriateness, respobsibilityand the perfect image that came with the uniform. In fact, they even dispensed with the uniform as they rolled down the runway wearing only their underwear.

"You know, you're right!" One of the other men laughed. "Remember when we went streaking through Arty school at Sill? Damn, I thought Old General McKinnon's wife was going to have a heart attack. It was a damn god thing she couldn't ID us. Our careers would have been over before they ever got started." All four men laughed.

"Somehow, I don't think we'll be quite that lucky this time." The taller of the four said as he grabbed onto the jeep, bracing for the sudden stop as his buddy, a slightly older looking version of himself, though they were the same age, slammed on the brakes, narrowly missing the three SP cars and their M-16 toting occupants.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." Sparky laughed.

Four hours later, the tall one found himself standing in front of his sergeant, still in handcuffs and his howitzer boxer shorts, a statuesque blonde Air Force Security Police Major next to him.

"Is this yours, sergeant?" The blonde with the silky voice asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." Duke looked at the man standing in front of him, his head bowed in shame. "What exactly happened?" He asked as he pulled out the bottle of aspirin, wishing he had a bottle of bourbon to wash it down with. This was one of those times he needed it.

"Well, Sergeant, we found him and his buddies racing down the runway at Kirtland in a stolen jeep, shooting off their 45's, and drinking in only their boxers." She replied. "We had to suspend all incoming flights and send an entire fihter squadron to Luke because these lunatics had to celebrate a retirement."

"I'm sorry for the problems they caused. I'm sure he's learned his lesson, haven't you?"

The man standing in front of him shook his head shamefully. Neither the first sergeant or the bombshell air force major cop could see the devilish grin and glint in his eyes.

"Very well, sign here and he's all yours." The blonde handed over a clipboard with paperwork just before she released her half-clothed quarry.

Before she knew it, she found herself against the wall being thoroughly kissed. "I'll call you." The man ground out, smiling.

"Well, uhm, uh, Sergeant, he's all yours." The now blushing and flustered Major said as she gathered up the blue beret that signified her status as an Air Force Security Police officer and left the room faster than a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile being launched towards its target. Duke and Flint's mouths dropped to the ground.

"What the hell?' came the voice of the man standing behind the first sergeant.

"What in blue bloody blazes was that?" The first sergeant bellowed eliciting an narrowed glare from Flint and the errant Joe "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I had fun and I just met the future Mrs. Clayton Abernathy." Hawk smiled "And I think, its time for bed, I had a long day, gentlemen." With that, the general threw a jaunty two fingered salute with a mischievous smile that made the other two men completely flabbergasted.


	2. Chapter 2

Paste

Duke looked from his commanding officer to Flint and back again. He wasn't sure he had heard what he had. They were headed to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico for training. The very place Hawk had to be escorted from in his skivvies. That was a visual Duke knew he could've done without. Where the man had found boxers covered in howitzers, Duke had no idea.

"We're going to be training with the Air Force PJs at Kirtland, sir?" Duke asked.

"Yes, we're going to learn some of their tactics to increase our rescue abilities. Not to mention take a look at some of their recruits. Do you have a problem with that, Sergeant?" Hawk responded.

"Uh, no sir. I just wondered. But, I do have to ask are you sure you want to go to Kirtland? Surely, there are other bases with PJs we can work with."

"What's the problem with Kirtland?" Duke and Flint looked at each other and then back to the General.

"Do you remember General Worthington's retirement party last month, sir?" Flint asked

"Of course, I remember it." The general smiled, thinking back just a few weeks ago. "One heck of a party. Hadn't had fun like that since my academy days." Hawk smiled.

"What exactly do you remember, sir?" Duke asked, narrowing his eyes in question. Both younger men were just a bit hesitant to bring up the incident that had caused their commander to be brought back to compound by an Air Force Security Police Major. A major that was at least five eight, blonde, gorgeous and stacked. A major, who'd found herself up against the wall, their commander's tongue shoved down her throat in a kiss that made even Flint blush. A major that had barred the General from ever setting foot on her base for running down the runway in a jeep, in his underwear firing a gun into the air and causing every single fighter to be sent to Luke Air Force Base as he and his fellow generals were chased by half the security police on base. A major, the General announced would be the future Mrs. Clayton Abernathy.

"I remember a good meal, good whiskey and good friends. And a very nice security police officer." Hawk remembered everything, including the kiss he laid on the SP major. Especially the kiss he'd laid on the SP Major. But, he wasn't about to let his men know that. They didn't need to know his ulterior motive for training at Kirtland, for seeing one Major Kathleen A. Kincaid, USAF again. He'd already checked up on her. She was single, and one hell of a security police officer.

"Make sure all those listed on that sheet are ready by sixteen hundred." Hawk left the room.

"He doesn't remember a single thing about that night does he?" Flint noted.

"Either that, or he's up to something." Duke said as he pulled out his bottle of aspirin and poured out four for himself. "And frankly, both scare me. More than if Shipwreck found a sudden bout of energy to do work." He handed the bottle to Flint who took just two aspirin and looked at Duke, wondering just how right the first sergeant was.

your document here...


	3. Chapter 3

Major Kathleen Kincaid was one unhappy woman. After explaining to Colonel William Farnbury, what a name, she thought again, that having that rogue Army General and his team of miscreants were going to be an absolute security nightmare and she simply didn't have enough man power to keep the base intact once they stayed a while. Oh, she'd done some serious research into this "G.I. Joe" team and although they were described as the cream of the crop, the best and the brightest minds of the U.S. military, there were still outside military protocols and rarely, if ever, if the reports are correct, followed regulations. Hell, their commanding officer alone had shot up three of her patrol cars, diverted flights for an hour and did some serious damage to the officer's club in his and his friends' trip through her base during a retirement party last month. And that didn't include the trip up to his base where he repeatedly tried to get her to turn into every hotel between Kirtland and the compound hidden in the middle of the Utah desert or the kiss he'd laid on her when she'd handed him over to his senior NCO.

Yep, this team on base was not going to be fun, she thought as she walked into the office housing the Security Police. The young sergeant at the desk snapped to attention as she walked in and tore off the blue beret denoting her position in the security police.

"Morning Major Kincaid, ma'am. " The young man stammered out nervously. Which Kathleen found odd, Sergeant John McNamara was never nervous. "There's a Brigadier General in your office to see you, ma'am."

"Joy" She said as she took the reports McNamara handed her detailing the night's activities. Some of which she already knew about, such as the Lieutenant Colonel found climbing back into his house through the second story window wearing just his underwear. He claimed he lost his key and the trellis was the easiest way back in. Turns out, he actually had had a fight with his wife and she had locked every door and window on the first floor or the Staff Sergeant who'd been caught driving under the influence from the NCO club. There were a few other problems she didn't know about such as the theft of a Captain's car by his crew chief's kid for a joy ride. This was the last thing she needed, some one star to make her life miserable after everything else that morning. "At ease, sergeant. Have you taken the Staff's exam yet? I'd like to see a fourth stripe in the next few months." She asked referring to the next rank in the enlisted chain, E-5 or Staff Sergeant*.

"Yes Ma'am. Took it two weeks ago. Just waiting on the results now, Ma'am"

"Well, how do you think you did?"

"I think did alright. I think I passed, Ma'am."

"Good, you deserve it." With that, she walked into the office her head buried in the reports.

"Morning Kathleen." Her eyes shot up at that whiskey smooth voice to find the bane of her existence seated behind her desk. She rolled her eyes skyward as she sent up a silent curse to the Gods above. Her day, a day she swore couldn't get any worse, did that, got worse.

"General, you're in my chair." She said simply, smoothly and calmly as she dropped the reports and her beret on her desk.

"And what a nice chair it is. Of course, it's not quite as nice as the woman who sits in it." He said as he stood and she remembered just how tall he was. She had to tip her head up to look at him. She tried not to blush as she remembered what his chest looked like under the simple white t-shirt and how strong his legs looked when all he wore were his boxers. She also pushed the feeling of burning her lips suddenly felt as she remembered that whopper of a kiss he'd laid on her last month.

"I think the chair's nice as well, now can I sit in it. I have work to do, sir." She barely remembered to put the sir at the end.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here."

"Not really, just cursing the fact that you are here, sir." She crossed around the desk and sat in the chair he'd just vacated. She continued reading the morning reports trying her best to ignore him. Which was difficult considering he had just sat down in the chair directly across from her and he was almost larger than life.

"Well, since you asked, I want you!" He said simply. Her head snapped up again and this time there was a look of pure horror mixed with curiosity and disdain. He really didn't say that did he? She thought. The look on his face said he did.

*Note: Under the current Enlisted rank/grade structure in the USAF, there is no Sergeant at E-4. That was discontinued in the 90's. Prior to the discontinuance of the rank, E-4 was either a Senior Airman, denoted by 3 chevrons and a blue star in the middle or a Sergeant, which also had 3 chevrons and a silver star in the center. Now, the E-4 rank is solely a Senior Airman.


	4. Chapter 4

He watched as the lovely major's face shot up to look at him, blue fire flashing through the crystal blue depths. It was almost amusing, almost. It was sexy, however. But, that was not the only reason he was here.

"Excuse me, sir? Care to elaborate?" She said through gritted teeth. "What exactly do you want _me _for?"

"Oh major, Kathleen, there are so many things I want you for." He smiled. "But, we'll start with dinner and your help with my team's training."

He was getting a kick out this. They both knew it. Her eyes were flashing in anger and his thoughts were leaning a little too far towards unprofessional. He was getting to her and he loved it. Granted, he did want her for more than just dinner and, in more ways than one. But, right now, he did want her team to work with his to help them beef up security at the base. Lately, Cobra'd been able to get through some of their defenses, thus forcing him to research the best SP forces in the US military. Lucky for him, Kathleen Kincaid's squadron was it. He specifically wanted the USAF security police because not only were they trained in police duties, but, they were security experts as well as able to train other agencies to provide security. The other reason for his team's trip to Kirtland was to have his team train at the USAF pararescue and combat rescue officer school located there. He wanted them to learn some of the combat rescue techniques these teams have perfected since the VietNam war.

"Can you be more specific? Sir?"

"About which part?" He smiled again and again she thought for a General, he did have a nice smile. But, she wasn't about to tank her career on a nice smile. Of course, that would mean she might actually like the man, and she really couldn't. She couldn't abide anyone who used the regulations manuals for toilet paper as she supposed his team did based on what she'd read.

"We'll start with the training, sir." She put her reports down, interlaced her fingers on her desk and looked him in the eyes. "Because dinner sir, will not happen unless I am either ordered to do so by _my_ superiors or is in the course of our respective jobs, sir." She stated firmly.

This was one tough cookie, Hawk thought. A perfect addition to the team , if he could get her. And the perfect woman for him, he thought again. Yes, she was strikingly beautiful and once again, he wondered what her hair would look like out of the severe bun she wore with her uniform and how she'd look without that camouflage battle dress uniform. He hadn't been as drunk as he acted that night, he'd been aware of her the entire four hours they drove back to his base. Hawk tried to clear his mind of lascivious thoughts. Yes, he wanted this woman for a lot more than just security training, but, he also knew based on her personnel file that it would take more than simple courtship to attract her. He had to treat her with respect, not that she didn't deserve it because she did. She was touted as one of the best security police officers in the United States Air Force and she deserved every ounce of respect she commanded.

"Very well, Major, I have a security problem only you can help with."

Her eyebrows shot up in question.

"There are a lot of security police squadrons in the air force, what's so special about me and mine."

"Oh, where can I start?" His eyes had an evil glint that worried her. Especially, since she still couldn't get that kiss out of her mind or the scent of him out of her nostrils. Again, no way any General is going to destroy what she's worked so hard to attain, no way.

"How about at the beginning, sir?"

"Very well, you're the best!" He said simply. "Be at this address at 1500 hours." He dropped a base address on her desk as he stood and walked out leaving her speechless and unable to respond.


	5. Chapter 5

She watched him stride confidently, almost swagger from the office before turning her attention back to the pile of reports on her desk along with the requisition forms and various other obnoxious paperwork she had to attend to. Kathleen swore the military would come to a standstill if ever trees became extinct. She thought back to the arrogant General. It didn't escape her attention when he left that he had a smirk on his face. He was definitely full of himself, wasn't he, she thought. If he thought she was going to show up at the address he'd given her at fifteen hundred, that General had another thing coming. Back to the reports, she reminded herself.

"Damn" she thought, who was she kidding. The guy was Brigadier General and Farnbury, the wuss of a wing commander, former fighter pilot, my butt, she thought, told her she had to play nice with the smug clown. So, she was going to be there. But, no one said she had to like it or him.

Hawk climbed into the jeep waiting outside still smiling. Oh, he was sure the beautiful Major was questioning his request, probably even debating not showing up at his appointed time and place. But, he'd bet his stars, her sense of duty will override her desire to strangle him. She was an Air Force academy grad, after all.

"Ready, sir?" the soldier behind the wheel asked simply.

"Yes, Cover Girl. Let's go. Oh and keep it in the speed limit. I don't want to get pulled over." At least not by anyone below the rank of Major.

"Ah, come on doll, you know the Navy'll rock y our boat." A loudmouth sailor clad in only his boxer shorts said as he was led away in cuffs by a petite brunette security police airman first class after being locked outside from losing a poker game between some joes and some air force airmen. He was one of the lucky ones because a fight started shortly thereafter prompting a full-scale response by the 37th Security Police Squadron.

"Yeah, well, we got airplanes and that suits me just fine, I get seasick. Now, let's go sailorboy" She said as one of her fellow SPs pulled out a marine, a SEAL, an army grunt and a pilot. A couple of Air Force personnel were also escorted out for gambling, a definite illegal offense on a military base.

"Ah, you're no fun babe."

"Call me babe one more time, squid and I'll introduce you to my partner. She's a real animal. Aren't you Chloe?" The brunette smiled a sardonic smile as she indicated the sign on her car door that read "Caution K-9" and the growling German Shepherd in the back.

"Major Kincaid, ma'am. We have an incident at the VEQ*. Some sort of fight. Here's the address." Kincaid looked at the slip of paper Staff Sergeant Wilkers, McNamara's relief handed her. The previous sergeant was probably dead to the world right now, just like she wished she was, Kathleen thought. She groaned. It was the very address she was told to report to in an hour.

"Damn that General." She said.

"Ma'am?" Wilkers studied her commander quizzically. In the year since Major Kathleen Kincaid had taken over the 37th Security Police Squadron, Staff Sergeant Tiffany Wilkers had never seen the woman talk to herself.

"Nothing Sergeant. Let's go." Kathleen said as she stepped out of the building placing the blue beret sharply on her head.

* * *

*VEQ: Visiting Enlisted Quarters.

Just a quick note, Fraternization between a Brigadier General (O-7) and Major (O-4) is not against regulations unless, one or both are married or within the same command structure.


	6. Chapter 6

Oh boy, she was not a happy camper, Hawk thought as Cover Girl pulled up in front of the VEQ and noted the lovely major standing stiffly in the front, her arms crossed over her chest, those blue eyes flashing once again and foot tapping impatiently.

"Whoo hoo, looks like someone is not happy, Sir." Cover Girl said.

"That makes two of us." He ground out. "Didn't I tell you all to behave yourselves."

"You did, sir." Cover Girl replied.

"And Shipwreck, Ace, Dusty, Wetsuit and Leatherneck just didn't get the message, I take it?"

"They were told sir." Cover Girl responded.

"I will deal with the major, you get Duke and Flint." Hawk stated simply. "They're both at the Pararescue school with Lady Jaye, Wild Bill, Airborne, Rock N'Roll, Mutt, Junkyard and Ripcord."

"Yes sir." Cover Girl replied as Hawk got out of the jeep. "Sir, hope you get lucky with the Major."

"That's what I'm hoping for." He muttered eliciting a look of curiosity from his driver, followed by a smile as she looked from the Major to the General and back.

"General Abernathy, sir." Major Kincaid immediately popped to attention, saluted as per military regulations and waited until he returned the salute and muttered an 'at ease' before she returned to her 'are you satisfied with yourself' stance. One that clearly said, don't mess with me if you have a half a brain. "Do these belong to you, sir?" She cocked her head towards the mend being put into the van.

"Uh yes, some of them anyway. And I apologize for any trouble they have given you." He said simply. "I can guarantee you this will never happen again."

"You're right on that account, sir. Because they are going to my jail, sir."

"On what charges, exactly, Major?" This time Hawk was the one with his hands on his hips.

"Articles 89, 91, 133 and 134 of the UCMJ and a violation of AFI 36-2909 for your pilot over there. In fact, he's the one getting charged with Article 133, Sir."

"Don't you think that's a bit extreme, Major?"

"No sir. AFI 36-2909 specifically states officers are prohibited from gambling with enlisted, and female enlisted in this case, which looks really bad for strip poker, doesn't it sir. And he is an Air Force officer, we checked. Therefore, he clearly knows that instruction. As for the others, your marine over there hit one of my SPs, the Tech Sergeant over there, and your Chief Petty officer, was not only insubordinate towards one of my NCOs and myself, but he hit me as well." She stood firm. "Sir, they are going to be dealt with as will our personnel."  
"Major, let's walk." Hawk said simply as he put his hand under her elbow and led her around the side of the building, out of sight of all prying eyes. "Now, as I said, I'm sure it was not a fun incident, but aren't you going a bit overboard." She pushed her chin up defiantly and it was then that he noticed the small bruise forming on the underside of her chin. Maybe she wasn't going overboard if Shipwreck had done that. And if he did, he's going to be sorry, Hawk thought. "But, I do understand your problems." He said trying not to sound angry. Though he was, just not at her.

"My problem, sir, is that your rag-tag group of miscreants have been on base for six hours and I've got airmen being placed in jail. Airmen who have never done a damn thing wrong until your team got here."

"Then why not cut them some slack, Kathleen?"

"Will you stop calling me by my first name? I didn't give you leave to do so, sir." The chin wen t up a bit higher.

"Would you rather I called you Katie?" He walked closer to her until her back hit something hard. It was the building wall. He put both hands on either side of her head and leaned into her ear so she could feel his hot breath on her neck. "I don't think you're a Katie, that fits a cute little girl and you are much more than cute and definitely not a little girl."

"Uh, no sir, I prefer" She gulped, "Major, sir." It was getting harder to breathe and despite the cool temperatures that day, it was getting hotter.

He hooked a finger under her chin, tipped it so that her bright blue eyes met his. "I'm sorry Shipwreck did this, I will definitely take care of the sailor in ways that would curl your hair." He smiled as he pressed his lips against hers in a sweet, gentle kiss, nothing like the last one he had placed on her in that sergeant's office. But, just like the last time, he thought she felt right in his arms.

"Sir, I don't think that was called for." She said breathlessly.

"Oh, Kathleen, it's definitely called for, but that's not why I brought you over here."

"Really, you could've fooled me." Her eyes spit javelins at him. In fact, he was sure even Lady Jaye couldn't be that accurate. God, she was gorgeous when she was mad, which brought to mind how she would look if she looked at him with passion. He gulped. He hadn't felt this since his wife had died.

"No, though it was nice, and I plan to repeat it, I asked you over here to talk about how we can keep both our personnel out of jail."

"Sir, I don't care how well you kiss, you can't keep those crazies out of jail."

"You think I kiss well, do you?" His eyes twinkled and she rolled her eyes.

"Very well, are you happy, sir?"

"Very and if I remember correctly, you have orders to keep me that way."

"I believe, sir, that does not include you groping me." She stuck her chin up in the air. "Besides, what would your wife think?"

"When you marry me, you can tell me. Until then, I'm not married. My wife died in a car accident eight years ago." He smiled a sad smile just before it brightened up again. "Now that we 've got that out of the way and I've kissed you twice, I think you can call me Clay now." He laughed. "Now, about the jail time, what can we do about that?"

* * *

A few notes: Article 89 is Disrespect towards a superior officer, Article 91 is insuordination towards a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer or petty officer, Article 133 is conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman and Article 134 is the General Article. I didn't throw in assault because I thought it would be overkill. And AFI 36-2909 is Air Force Instruction 36-2909 which governs Fraternization in the Air Force, though in 2000, the regulation was extended to all services. The USAF was the first to not allow fraternization between Officers and Enlisted and it is extremely strict. Though it also takes into account between officers if it is detrimental to good conduct or morale. The rest of the services, prior to 2000, had much more lax regulations. Now, they have regulations similar to the USAF's.


	7. Chapter 7

Hawk leaned into Kathleen once again, ran his finger down her long, elegant neck as he pressed another kiss to her lips. For some reason, even he couldn't explain he couldn't stay away from this woman. He'd managed to stay single since that fateful day eight years ago when the MPs at Fort Sill told him of his wife's death because of a drunk driver on a desolate highway. This major was completely unlike his late wife Ann. Where Ann was sweet and demure, raised by one of the oldest families in Denver, Kathleen was headstrong and independent. Ann had cinnamon chestnut brown hair, Kathleen had golden blonde hair. Ann wanted nothing more than to be a proper officer's wife and mother, Kathleen was a career military officer herself. But, then, as much as he had loved Ann, as his career had progressed, he'd learned that women were invaluable in the military.

"Sir, if you think this is going to get your men out of trouble, you've got another thing coming."

"Right now, all I'm thinking about is what you'd look like without this beret and your hair down. How much I'd like to let this go as far as you'd let it. How sweet you taste. My men will be dealt with, I promised you that and I never renege on my promises." He kissed her a little harder this time, prompting her lips open as he ran his tongue along them.

"Sir…" She breathed out.

"Hmm." A very loud, very exaggerated throat clearing quickly broke the two officers apart and both looked up to find two men and women almost bursting out laughing at their commanding officer's act of defiance. In fact, Flint thought Hawk and the Major looked like teenagers caught necking in the basement, which made it even funnier considering the General was over forty and the Major at least thirty five.

"Duke, Flint, Lady Jaye, Cover Girl, let me introduce you to my future wife and hopefully future Joe security officer, Major Kathleen Kincaid." He managed to announce before looking back at the Major to see her look of confusion at the names and the pronouncement. "I'll explain the names later."

"Damn, he works fast." Flint said under his breath causing Lady Jaye to jab him sharply in the ribs and eliciting both a "what" and "Ow" from him. "Or not." He amended as the blushed Major ducked under the General's arms.

"I suggest sir, you take care of your men and not take liberties with me. And kindly do something about their uniforms. I'm sure boxers and t-shirts are comfortable, but they are hardly regulation, sir." With that, she saluted. "Oh and sir, you forget both your request regarding my appearance and your delusion regarding our future union, sir." She stalked away, her chin held defiantly in the air and stiffly at attention.

"Ouch." Flint received another jab from his own girlfriend. "What was that for?"

"For looking at her."

"Jeez, I was just watching her give the General his comeuppance." He rolled his eyes. "You're the only woman I 'look' at."

"I'd better be." Jaye said simply.

"We'll see Major" Hawk smiled. "Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, show's over. Let's find an appropriate punishment for Shipwreck and the boys to the Major's satisfaction." With that he walked away.

Later that night, Kathleen found herself seated at the bar of the officer's club, a simple glass of red wine in front of her, good friends around her and she was out of uniform. She was there to forget the infuriating General and his heated kisses and pronouncements. She had changed into a mini-skirt, a simple blouse, and had let her hair down. As usual, no fewer than four fellow male officers, most pilots, had hit on her and she shot each one down. She wasn't there to meet a guy who moved faster than his jet from one girl to another. At least, if she even thought about the General, which she wouldn't because she loved her career, chances were, he wouldn't just move onto the next model girl or jet, whichever was hotter in the pilot's mind.

God, she was even more gorgeous with her glorious golden blonde hair with soft waves down to her waist and those legs, they clearly went on for miles and straight to heaven. The body that was hidden beneath boxy BDUs, was beyond description, he thought as his mouth went dry and he focused on the blonde at the end of the bar who had men dropping like flies at the put-downs, she was clearly handing out. No, he definitely was the polar opposite of Ann and that made her even more attractive. He often wondered how Ann fared when he was sent overseas. With Kathleen, he wouldn't have to worry. He watched as she tossed that long blonde hair back and she smiled in laughter at something her girlfriend had said.

He hadn't planned to see her at the officer's club, hell, he had planned to just have dinner, discuss some administrative items with his warrant officer and to try to let her chew on his plans tonight. Tomorrow, he would initiate the next stage in his tactical plan to win her to his side. He had given up trying to figure out what it was about her that made him want her, but, want her he did.

"Sir?" Flint's voice pulled him from his Major Kincaid induced trance. "Dinner?"

"Yes, oh, right, dinner." Hawk stammered out. If this had been any other man, Flint would've laughed at how the General was acting. But, it was his commanding officer and to be honest, it wasn't all that funny.

"You could just start with asking her out, sir."

"I did that already, well, maybe I ordered her out. Before the whole gambling thing sidelined us." Hawk said with a sigh.

"Actually, you announced you were marrying her, sir." Flint reminded him.

"That was afterwards. In her office, this morning, I told her to meet me at the VEQ at fifteen hundred. Unfortunately, Shipwreck, Leatherneck, Wetsuit and Ace blew that up on me."

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Always Warrant Officer."

"I think you should consider moving a bit slower. Start by telling her that part of your mission here is to get her to take the position of chief security officer with the Joes. I think she'd be more receptive to that."

"Is that what you did with Jaye?" Hawk stared at his Warrant Officer.

"Sir, I treat Alison with the utmost of respect, she knows I value her opinion and thoughts on tactical matters, even if I don't exactly trust any other man around her." He smiled. "But, every woman is different. The major, she values her career and right now, she sees you as a way to keep her from getting what she wants, the same stars you're wearing. She knows that any involvement with a General at this stage in her career will result in talk." Flint said as the waiter led them to their table. "But, as your security chief, she'd be out of the prying eyes of her fellow officers. I daresay, you'd have a better chance there, sir."

"It is something to think about. Thank you for your candor." Though next time, keep your romantic advice to yourself, Hawk didn't voice that last part. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly sir."  
"Do you think I don't know how to romance a woman?" The General looked his warrant officer and third in command in the eye, challenging him.

"Of course not, sir. I just think maybe, you've not been up against a woman such as the Major. "


	8. Chapter 8

He looked at himself in the mirror, dragging a hand through his short, dark hair, running what his third in command had said last night through his mind. Maybe the younger man was right, he should consider taking it slower with the major. It wasn't as if he came here with the singular reason of seducing the woman, though, he did have that in mind as well. He had since he had met the woman. He still, did, want the woman for more than that, he needed a chief of security and her record was beyond reproach. There had never been a successful breach in security at any base where she had been in charge of the security forces.

Her reluctance to date him could, as Flint suggested, be a reluctance to put her career on the line. It could also be that he was a bit older than she was. She was in her early to mid-thirties and though he didn't think he looked his age, with the few crow's feet around his blue eyes and a couple of specks of gray in his dark hair, the rank would give away the fact that he was in his forties at least. He made a mental note to talk to Lady Jaye, of anyone would know, it would likely be another woman. He laughed. If anyone had told him, that he, a one star general in charge of one of the most elite anti-terrorist units in the United States would be getting romantic advice from his unit's most notorious lotharios, well, that was until Flint had met his match in the young corporal, Hawk would have told them they were crazy. He even thought he was crazy. But, then the last time he romanced a woman, it had been his wife while he was still at the academy and she was pretty much a sure bet on marriage. His parents and Ann's had been friends for decades and had all but married them the day they were born. Lucky for him, he had actually loved Ann in all ways. She had been his best friend growing up, she had known all his ex-girlfriends and he, her ex-boyfriends but they both knew it was a matter of time before they would fulfill their parent's wishes. They never got serious about anyone else. At one time, they'd even talked about not getting married to each other, but then he went to airborne school the summer between his second class and first class years. The whole time, he missed talking to her, missed telling her all of his achievements, share in his failures, like when he nearly didn't jump off the tower because he suddenly had a fear of heights. That summer proved to him that he didn't want to live life without her in it. They married for love the week after he'd graduated and received his commission in the Army.

Looking back at it all, he supposed he really didn't know how to romance a woman because he never really had to. Despite the fact that his future had been sewn up, he supposed he could have found someone else while in the academy, but, he had never really wanted to. He never could see his life without Ann. The only regrets he had when it came to his life were the fact that Ann had been taken from him too soon and they hadn't had that child she had been carrying. God, they had been so happy for that. They thought they'd never have a child, they had tried for so long. Then that drunk driver had taken them both from him. The only solace he had was that the man who had killed his family was rotting in a prison for the next ten years.

He was in trouble here, and despite all his bravado last night, he really did need some help. But, he wasn't exactly sure he should go to one of his team. What on Earth would they think? This was the first woman he'd even remotely found himself interested in since Ann. He really needed to talk to someone. But, clearly Flint and Duke were out. It looked like it had to be Jaye. She's about the only one there that he trusted to keep it quiet.


	9. Chapter 9

She stood outside his door, thoroughly convinced she was in trouble. It was true that she'd spent the night with her boyfriend and not in the room assigned her. Exactly where she shouldn't have been, not on a spit and polish, regulations rule Air Force base where saluting was automatic and uniforms had knife edge creases. Sure, they could get away with it, or at least the higher ups turned a blind eye to their activities at their base. But on this base, they were bucking an article 15 at6 the least and jail time for him and court-martial for her at the worst.

Granted, they could fight it. They were both army and therefore, didn't fall under Air Force regs. But, they did fall under the UCMJ and even though under current army regulations*, as long as they weren't in the same chain of command and their commander didn't object, they should be fine. Should be were the operative words. She gulped in a deep breath and stood taller, steeling herself for the inevitable. Of course, she wondered why Flint hadn't been called in as well. But, seeing as how she was the one in an officer's quarters, she figured she'd be the one chewed out first.

In fact, she wondered how Hawk knew about the tryst. But, then, somehow, he knew everything. She smiled briefly. She knocked tentatively.

"Enter" was the single word response. Tentatively, cautiously, she opened the door to the General's temporary quarters, the morning reports in her hand. She'd been working on them when she was summoned to his quarters. "Ah, Corporal, come in. Close the door." Uh oh, she thought, he never called any of them by their ranks. This had to be bad. She tried not to slump her shoulders.

"Here are the morning reports, sir."

"Thank you, put them over on the desk." He sounded different. She couldn't explain why or how, but, he did.

"Yes sir." She slowly placed the reports on the desk and turned to face him. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, there is. It's a little embarrassing." He ran his hand through his hair and looked down sheepishly. Lady Jaye actually thought she saw him blush.

"Is everything alright, sir?" She narrowed her eyes at him in question and concern. She was hoping there was nothing wrong.

"Well, you know my wife died several years ago, correct?" She nodded her acknowledgement. As a personnel specialist as well as a covert agent, it was her job to know just about everything about everyone. She kept the personnel records after all. "Well, what you probably don't know is, my marriage to Ann was, well, how can I say this, sort of arranged. " Her eyebrows shot up in question. "What I mean is, my parents and hers, well, they made a pact to marry us off when we were born. Not that they actually made us do it. We did actually have a say in it and we decided we were going to go along with it." She was actually speechless, Hawk thought. "Anyway, since we grew up together, being just a few months apart in age, we kind of couldn't see not being together all the time. I'm not sure if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I loved Ann, always will."

"I'm sorry sir, I knew your wife had died, but, I didn't know that you'd known each other all your lives."

"Well, there's a bit more to the story. Ann was killed by a drunk driver outside of Fort Sill. She was carrying our first child. We had tried for eleven years before she finally got pregnant." Lady Jaye's hand shot up to her mouth in shock.

"Oh, my god, sir. I didn't know" She wanted to console her commander, he clearly was having problems talking about his life.

"That's not why I asked you here. The reason I asked you here and told you all that was so I can explain what I need. Now, before this sounds odd, I did have some girlfriends before I married Ann, and she had a few boyfriends, but, we knew all along we weren't going to be serious about anyone else. So, neither of us really tried with other people. Heck, I never even really tried to court her. I didn't have to. I just had to be myself." The sheepish look was back. If the story hadn't been so sad, the look her forty something commander, a man who seemed so worldly to her, so authoritative and commanding, currently had on his face would have been laughable. "Anyway, as you obviously saw yesterday, I'm very interested in Major Kincaid. But, according to your boyfriend, yes, I know all about you two and I know where you spent the night. We'll talk about that later, I'm going a little too fast. So, I need your help. What would you suggest I do?"

"Uhm, Sir, I can try, but, I'm not sure what you need." She responded.

"I know this sounds odd, but, what would you like Flint to do over, if he could."

"Well, I guess, I'd start with what he did do. Yes, he really tried everything in the book to get me to go out with him, but, he also treated me like an equal. With respect for my job and abilities." Jaye said. "But, I wouldn't have minded some flowers once in a while."

"So, you're telling me to do the same thing Flint told me, treat her like a professional and hope something personal happens?"

"Well, at least during work hours. Afterwards, maybe try asking her out for dinner, and for god's sake, don't tell her you plan to marry her!" That part did elicit a laugh from her.

"That was kind of dumb wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was, sir. But, now knowing your relationship with your late wife, I can understand. If you always knew you were getting married to your wife, then you wouldn't have to work so hard to convince her." She smiled. "But, I'm sure you did things for her like buy her flowers, jewelry, etc., right sir?"

"So, you're saying buy her jewelry?" His eyes shot up in question. He'd only ever bought Ann jewelry for her birthday or Christmas or the day she told him she was pregnant.

"Well, actually sir, I would suggest sending her a bouquet of wildflowers as an apology, first. Stay away from roses until you know her better." She suggested. "Also, I'd suggest you show her that you take her seriously. Maybe do things that she might like."

"That's a good idea. Thank you. I think I'll do that. Now, I shouldn't have to say this, but, this stays between us, is that clear, Corporal?" She was probably right. One thing that might work would be instituting some discipline in this unit for the time they were here.

"Of course sir. I promise I won't even tell Flint."

"About that. You're on an active Air Force base, stay out of his quarters. And I want you to write up a general order, all personnel will wear appropriate military uniforms, properly and they will show military decorum and protocol while we're here." He instructed. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all. Have that paperwork to me in the next hour for my signature."

She saluted sharply and left the room as he picked up the phone and made a call.


	10. Chapter 10

The team gathered around her as she posted the simple piece of paper on the bulletin board outside the VEQ.

"Hey, what's this?" Dusty was the first to speak up.

"New orders from the General." Lady Jaye replied as she walked away. It was then that they all noticed, she was not dressed in her normal green pants and shirt combination. No, she was wearing her army green uniform, corporal stripes, real name tag, skirt and service cap combination. Dusty looked her up and down and whistled.

"Dang woman, I wish I'd known what was under those fatigues before Flint saw it."

"Stifle it, Specialist." She replied. "Oh, yeah another thing guys, we have to actually work under military decorum." She stopped momentarily to deliver that part of the edict as well.

"Effective immediately All personnel assigned to the fourth Special Operations Company(1) will wear the uniform, service or utility, appropriate for their service, rank, and position with all appropriate accoutrements associated with that uniform. Further, all uniform regulations including hair and facial hair requirements will be followed." Dusty read aloud. "Man, I'm not sure I even have mine with me."

"Finally, we're gonna look like a military unit!" Someone heard Beachhead say in the background.

"Well, there goes your ski mask buddy." Flint said behind him eliciting a groan from the Sergeant Major.

"Looks like I have to shave. Man, it took two years to get this beard to look like this." Shipwreck, who had just been released from the base jail, groaned.

"In addition, all military protocol and discipline will be followed until further notice" Dusty continued. "Guess that means we have to actually salute Flint. But, then, I guess that messes up your plans for the rest of the trip, huh, Flint?"

"Yeah." He groaned out. But, then he already knew that. He'd just spent the last fifteen minutes being reprimanded by Hawk for having Lady Jaye in his quarters all night. He turned on his heels before anyone else noticed he was also dressed in his issue Battle Dress Uniform. Stomping away, he nearly ran over Duke.

"Whoa buddy. " Duke put up his hands to stabilize both of them. "What in bloody blue blazes are you wearing?"

"It's called a uniform, you might want to try it sometime. " Flint grumbled. "And it's Hawk's way of getting into the good graces of his favorite Major"

"Huh?"

"Take a look over there. Hawk's new rules while we're here."

"You're kidding me?"

"Does this look like I'm kidding?" Flint ran his hands up and down in front of this uniform.

"Nope. This should be interesting. Come to think of it, I think I'd like to see what's under that balaclava of Beachhead's anyway." Duke laughed. "Always did wonder why he hid his face."

"You know, it could be interesting. Shipwreck in an actual Navy uniform, and a Chief Petty Officer's2 to boot and Beach without his balaclava." Flint said. "Bet we'll find out he is as ugly as I always thought." They both walked away. "Oh, and you have to actually salute me now."

"Yeah, well, you have to salute Doc, Ace and Cutter." Duke laughed. "Glad I brought my uniform, don't have to buy one."

Kincaid walked into the SP office, refreshed from her night out and no sign of the general. She was actually smiling. Sergeant Wilkers handed her the normal daily reports as she noticed the simple bouquet of wildflowers on the sergeant's desk.

"Your boyfriend send you flowers again?" Kathleen asked.

"No ma'am. These are for you. They arrived a half hour ago." Wilkers said as she handed the bunch to her commander.

"My sincerest apologies for yesterday. There will be changes. C. A.,BG." Kathleen read aloud.

"Who is CABG, Ma'am and why is he apologizing?" To Wilkers knowledge the Major didn't have anyone special in her life.

"I think it's that damned General that's been sniffing around. " The Major said simply. "Would you like the flowers?"

"No ma'am. But, permission to speak freely, ma'am."

"Go ahead." Kincaid breathed out.

"I know the man's been a bit heavy handed, but, I think you should give him a chance. I mean, first of all, he's an Army General, it's not like he can do anything to you. And second, he is gorgeous."

Kathleen just stared at the other woman. Very little escaped her staff sergeant's notice. The woman was beyond observant.

"What makes you say that?"

"Ma'am, it's kind of clear he's interested in you and to be honest, you've been here a year and even though you've clearly been asked out by nearly every single officer on this base, you've only gone out with men who are Majors and Captains. So, it seems to me, that you're trying to look out for your career and I understand that. We, women, we have to work harder to get up in rank, even us enlisted. But, the General, he's Army so there is absolutely no way he can influence your career. And even if you don't notice it. You are fighting him way too hard to be just not interested. I've seen you shoot down Colonels with just a glance and walk away, yet this guy, you keep fighting him."

"Well, this one is not getting the message." With that, Kathleen walked into her office carrying the flowers. She had no idea what she was going to do with them, yet. She placed them on the desk when her phone rang.

"Major Kincaid." She answered simply. "Uhm, yes sir, I did get them. They are very nice. Thank you sir. But, you shouldn't have" really you shouldn't have, she thought but didn't voice. "Lunch, uhm, I'm not sure, sir." She finally accepted as soon as her caller pointed out that her base commander was going to be in attendance as well.

1 Note: This is made up. There is, as far as I can find, a unit designation in either the cartoon or the comics.

2 For those that don't know, once a Navy enlisted man hits E-7, they are a Chief Petty Officer and Chiefs wear khaki or white uniforms similar to commissioned officers. The white sailor hat is also no longer worn. (I always wondered why Shipwreck held onto the lower enlisted uniform.)


	11. Chapter 11

Kathleen hung her head in her hands, slowly shaking it from side to side in disbelief and frustration. Dear God, what was it going to take for this guy to get the message? Yes, he may be handsome beyond belief and yes, he may be just the type of guy she'd go out with, if he weren't a damned general. But, he was and she wasn't interested, simple as that. Now, she had to suffer through lunch with him and her wing commander, another lecherous bastard who constantly made a pass at her every chance he got. At least, she was certain that he knew that he had a snowball's chance and part of that was his wedding ring, the other part was because she simply didn't like the guy. Well, at least this time she could bring her sergeant. And Wilkers was going if she ever wanted to see Tech Sergeant, Kathleen vowed.

"Sergeant, would you come in here, please?" She opened the door and stuck her head out to call to the younger woman.

"Yes, ma'am." The young staff sergeant stood, grabbed a pad, pen and walked to the door. Even though she was an SP like her commanding officer, some of her duties included being an administrative assistant whenever she was placed on desk duty for the next month because of a broken ankle she'd suffered chasing down a teenager who thought it was a good idea to try to break onto an air force base for a club initiation. The kid was caught and was now spending time in jail for the prank.

"You can leave that there, you won't need it." The major said as she pointed her chin towards the pen and pad.

"Yes, ma'am". Uh oh, what did I do? Wilkers asked herself. Sure, she'd let that crazy sailor go, but she'd had orders to do so from the wing commander. Besides, if he hit on her one more time, she was going to hit on him, with brass knuckles. Granted, he was cute, at least he was until he opened his mouth. Her hesitance and question must have been very evident on her face because as she entered the office, her commanding officer made it a point to inform her she was not in trouble. At least, not yet, Major Kincaid stated with a wry smile. "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?"

"I need you to go to lunch with me at the Officer's club." Was Kincaid's simple edict.

"Ma'am?" This was a shock, the Major always took lunch alone and in her office.

"I have to have lunch with that infernal general, his sergeant, and the wing commander. It was specifically requested that you attend." Well, an NCO, Farnbury had stated, but Wilkers didn't need to know that part.

"Yes, ma'am." Wilkers was surprised.

"Be ready in an hour and look sharp." Kathleen turned back to her paperwork, silently dismissing the younger woman.

"Yes ma'am" Wilkers stepped back, saluted, about-faced and left the room.

An hour later, Kincaid and the young sergeant entered the ornate officer's club. Wilkers looked around in awe. The NCO was a lot like a neighborhood bar, but, this, this place more resembled a rich man's country club with its rich mahogany wood, gold filigree wallpaper, formal dining room, bar and even a game room downstairs, at least that's what the sign next to the stairs proclaimed. Damn, I should have been an officer, she thought. And she knew she could, she already held a Masters and was working on her doctorate in criminology.

"Looks like they're here, already." Kincaid said as she noticed Farnbury and the General seated at a table. "Well, let's get this over with." They walked towards the three men seated there.

"Ah, Major Kincaid, good to see you again." Farnbury said, his brown eyes glinting as they travelled up and down her body, making her both glad that she was wearing BDUs and wishing she had a shower nearby. At least the General didn't make her feel that bad. Again, she thought, if it weren't for the whole, he's a general and a bit heavy handed thing, she'd consider him. But, he was a general and his crazy announcements had made her a bit wary of the guy.

"Colonel, General, Sergeant." Kincaid acknowledge each one as they each stood in pure, gentleman fashion as she and Wilkers walked up.. "May I introduce one of my sergeants, Staff Sergeant Wilkers."

Duke immediately noticed the staff sergeant as she walked in. Petite in all ways save one, chestnut brown hair that glinted golden red in the sunlit room even though it was gathered severely in a regulation bun that easily accommodated the beret she was issued , bright blue eyes that reminded him of the Caribbean and damned if she didn't make BDUs look sexy. His gaze slowly slid down to her left hand. The ring finger was bare and he silently both cheered and hoped that she didn't have a boyfriend. He also hoped Hawk could talk the major into joining the team and bringing this sergeant with her. He knew Hawk had designs on the major that were more than just personal, though the major may disagree with that right now. Hawk wanted a new chief of security and even add to the security team he already had. The handful of MPs and K-9 handlers were just not cutting it anymore.

Tiffany Wilkers walked in and was still in awe as she was introduced to the General, who didn't quite make her quite as nervous as did the blonde master sergeant, scratch that, first sergeant if that diamond was correct that had stood next to the general. In fact, most of her senses were trained on the six foot two man with the most gorgeous eyes of blue she'd ever seen who helped her with her chair. And those shoulders, all she could do was stare. Too bad, she was stuck here, Tiffany thought. Heck, her mouth was watering at the mere nearness of the man.

"First Sergeant Conrad Hauser, my field commander and first sergeant." Hawk introduced Duke. "Sergeant Hauser, this is Major Kincaid."

"Ma'am, pleasure to meet you again." Duke took the Major's hand and shook it trying to wrench his gaze from her sergeant. "Sergeant"

"Sergeant, nice to meet you." She smiled as she took Duke's hand. "And its Tiffany."

"Call me Duke." Duke smiled back as he though she was even more beautiful when she smiled and could easily give Scarlett and Cover Girl a run for their money in the looks department. What was it with this base? He wondered. All the women here were gorgeous. He wondered silently what it would take to transfer to the Air Force.

He barely heard was said, but then he already knew. He, Flint, Beachhead and Hawk had already discussed it earlier that day. Beachhead was the only hold out in getting the Major to being transferred to the team. A foregone conclusion and done deal, unbeknownst to her. They had, well, except for Beachhead, had admitted that they needed help and this woman's team had a hell of a record. Of course, the general had an ulterior motive, but, even that wouldn't have convinced him to transfer her to the team if the record hadn't spoken for itself and they needed more security. Hawk's team always came before his hormones.

Unfortunately, the Major didn't know that and she was more attuned to the other reasoning for transferring her to the team and her eyes belied those thoughts as she snapped her head to glare at Hawk when he told her she was transferred to the team, along with any member of her security police team she wanted.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Hawk nodded. "We both know the real reason you're proposing this idea and I don't appreciate your heavy handed approach, sir

"There is that, and while I do subscribe to using Sun Tzu's teachings in my tactics towards just about everything, specifically, the idea that security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive, in this case, we need you on the team." He smiled.

"Yes, sir, but to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." She countered causing even Duke's eyebrow to shoot up at the fact that she was just as much of a student of tactics as the general. "And, I do plan to allow you to provide me with the means to defeat you, sir." The smile she flashed was saccharine sweet and Duke had to smile. She was definitely a worthy opponent for the strong-willed general.

"We'll see" Hawk smiled. "Remember Major, I have these stars for a reason and it wasn't because they fit on the uniform."

"Sir, Ma'am, may I? The general, while he has made clear his, ahem, person interest. It was actually my suggestion to bring you and a few of your best. " He indicated with his eyes to the sergeant seated next to him. "in to solve our security problem. We need the best and, quite frankly Ma'am. You're it. And on another point, I believe that for your next rank, you are required to have some joint forces experience, is that not correct, Ma'am?" She nodded yes and she was due to progress to Lieutenant Colonel in the next two years if she could get that joint forces experience. "This is the perfect opportunity for you to receive that experience and help us out as well." Duke's cut in did elicit a raised eyebrow from his commander and the lovely major. He could easily see why Hawk was attracted to her and it clearly wasn't just her looks. She clearly wasn't either blinded by the stars or intimidated by them either.


	12. Chapter 12

He stood in front of the mirror staring at the reflection as he turned his head side to side studying his newly shaven face and recently trimmed hair, not to mention the freshly pressed, newly acquired khakis that he had to drive 20 miles to the naval weapons center to buy. God, he hated these things, which was why he always wore his old utility denim uniform, it was comfortable.

"Damn him for making us wear these things." He muttered aloud to himself. There was no one else around to hear.

"Chief." The other sailor nodded he walked into the head. Other than looking the other man's uniform, neither man really paid attention to each other. All the new arrival noticed was the uniform that signified the other man's rank as at least a chief petty officer, at least that was until that infernal parrot flew in.

"Squawk. Cinderella all dressed for the prom. Squawk." The parrot's squeaky voice echoed through the cavernous bathroom.

"Stow it. Polly or I'll feed you to Chloe." The bird shut up at the mention of the Air Force's dog, who, two nights ago looked at Polly as though she was the dog's next snack.

"Shipwreck? Is that you?" The sailor in dress blues almost squealed in an unseal like fashion. "Oh my God, look at that baby face."

"Stow it Wetsuit." Shipwreck growled.

"Hey guys, you have go t to see this." Wetsuit called out to the rest of the team.

"Damn, is that you Shipwreck?" Cover Girl wolf whistled. "Boy, you sure clean up nice. You make the Navy look good!"

"Well, darling, if I'd known you'd like this look, I'd have done this a while ago." Shipwreck smiled lacivisously.

"Oh brother." Cover Girl rolled her eyes as she walked away. "His looks may have changed, but, yep, you're Shipwreck."

"Outta my way." A deep southern voice drawled as a big hand pushed his way through. "Its about time you two squids figured out how to wear your uniforms."

"Like you do?" Leatherneck shot back as he walked in behind the newest visitor.

"Beach ? Is that you?" Cover Girl asked incredulously.

"Well, it ain't Ken, Barbie."

"Well, hell, I'll be a monkey's uncle, you do have a face under that mask."

"Can it, Shipwreck. Now get outta my way."

"Wow, who woulda thought you'd look that good without the mask." Cover Girl smiled as she pat Beach's butt walking away. She didn't see his eyes widen in surprise. Unfortunately, everyone else did and snickered, which died down as soon as Beach shot them a look. The next look had them scattering like roaches when the light switched on.

Duke and Flint were waiting for Kincaid when she walked into her office with Wilkers. It didn't take much for Flint to notice the First Sergeant perking up when the Sergeant walked in. All of a sudden, Duke, the man who tended to go through women like water in a shower because he couldn't get the one he wanted, was sitting straighter, checking his dress greens for imaginary lint. Watching the normally unflappable first sergeant blush and act, well, flapped, caused a small snickering chuckle to emanate from the Warrant Officer. It would have been funnier if the young staff sergeant hadn't eyed Duke as well. You old devil, Flint thought. The look Duke threw him was damned near deadly.

"Just thinking about Cover Girl copping a feel on Beachhead this morning." Flint said trying to cover up his chuckle "What, Jaye told me." He shrugged when Duke uttered an "uh huh".

"I thought you two were told to knock it off while you were here?" Duke chided.

"What? That means we can't talk?"

"Uh huh." Duke rolled his eyes at that. "Like I believe that."

"Sergeant Hauser, how can I help you?" Kincaid's sweetly husky voice infiltrated the two men's conversation, causing both to snap up to attention.

"Ma'am, Good to see you again. May I introduce Warrant Officer Dashiell Faireborn, he and I are here to discuss your upcoming transfer to the team and the personnel we're looking at to come with you."

"Sergeant, Warrant Officer, I haven't agreed to the transfer, yet." She emphasized the 'yet'.

"Ma'am, The general, uhm, anticipated that response, so, last night he was given to approval to have you transferred by the commander of the twenty-third air force." Duke left this part up to Flint, waiting for the fireworks to begin. "Your transfer is complete as is those of fifteen of your team. Ten personnel and five dogs., Ma'am." He handed her the packet of material in his hands.

"Why that, low-down, sneaky, son of a …., Why can't he take no for an answer?" Kincaid begain yelling, causing Wilkers to snap her head up as she had never heard the Major raise her voice.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, while the General may have made the call, it was a joint effort to make the decisions as to the personnel chosen, including yourself, Ma'am. As I explained, it was your record and our need that precipitated this move." Duke explained.

"Is that so, Sergeant?" Her eyes narrowed and it was clear she was still livid.

"Yes Ma'am. The warrant officer and I, we originally tried to talk the General out of this." Duke tried to explain. "Knowing his personal interest, that is."

"However, Ma'am, we found ourselves with a bit of a security problem." Flint continued.

"Is that so? And somehow, by magic, my name came up?" Her eyes narrowed even more, to mere slits.

"Actually, we looked at several candidates, you just happened to be the best, Ma'am." Flint responded. "Your electronic identification program is inventive and just what we need."

"Is that so?" She surveyed the man in front of her, trying to assess his truthfulness. "And just what kind of security problem did you have?"

"One of our team was kidnapped and replaced with a covert operative who had copied every one of our codes. We didn't catch her until it was too late." Duke explained with a short gaze to the man standing next to him.

"Hey, I was out of the country for most of your incident." Flint through his hands up in defense.

"They used your girlfriend."  
"And I'm the one who pointed that out as soon as I got back." Flint shot back.

"Boys!" The major stood stoically with arms crossed in a clear stance of authority and a voice that made both men feel like children caught by their parents up to no good.

"Sorry, ma'am." They replied simultaneously.

"Now, since I apparently have no choice in this, tell me who is going with me and then tell your general I want to see him!"

An hour later, Flint and Duke walked out of the Major's office, knowing she was still not happy, but understanding why she was chosen.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you." Duke said as he stopped at Wilker's desk.

"Don't do anything I won't." Flint winked as he moved to a far corner of the office.

"Well, that gives me a lot of leeway." Duke teased.

"What? I class up the team, ole buddy." Flint smiled his crooked grin.

"Yeah, sure." Duke turned to the now laughing sergeant. "I wanted to be the first to welcome you to the team."

"I was chosen?" Wilkers was actually surprised. She didn't think she had a snowball's chance.

"You sound surprised." Duke smiled."I don't know why? You're certainly more than qualified."

"Really?"  
"Really. We're very choosy, the team that is." Duke smiled that killer smile again. "Trust me when I tell you we only take the best of the best and according to your file, you're one of the best. And the prettiest, if I might add. But, that one's a personal observation." He watched a blush fill her face as Flint, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest and ankles crossed rolled his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes. You know, I was wondering, if you'd like to go to dinner with me tonight? To celebrate. If you say no, it won't affect your transfer. You're already in ."

"Uhm, sure." She smiled.

"Great, seven okay with you?" Duke asked. "I just need your address. To pick you up."

"Uh, yeah, here it is." She handed him a small slip of paper and another sweet smile just before he left.

"See you at seven. NO uniform." Duke said as he walked up to Flint, who pushed himself off the wall.

"And the prettiest? Are you kidding me?" Flint said once they got outside.

"Hey, not all of us were English lit majors and besides, it worked didn't it."

"Yeah, it did. Though, I can't believe it." Flint laughed. "Well, that major is a real spitfire, isn't she? Perfect match for Hawk. Think she can get the job done?"

"Yeah, I do. Now, we just have to come up with a code name for her."  
"What about Spitfire? It certainly fits."

"Yeah, it does."

"So, about your date tonight. You're not gonna play with this one like you do with all the rest because Scarlett won't give you the time of day?"

"No, I actually think I like this one." Duke said and they walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

Duke strode confidently into the General's office the next day. The older man didn't look up from the paperwork piled in front of him.

"What's the status on the major and her unit joining our team?" It was more statement than question.

"It's taken care of, sir. She's coming and with the team we handpicked." Duke responded. "But, she's not very happy about it. It took a lot of diplomacy on Flint's part to convince her that this transfer had more to do without that this transfer had more to do with our need for her abilities as a security officer than your personal interest in her, sir."

"This is one reason I leave the personnel decisions to you and Flint. Though, after reading her file. I think she is just what we need."

"Yes, sir. I do have to agree with you." Duke said. "Her identification systems are perfect for our base. "

"I agree."

"Sir, if I may?"

"What is it?" Hawk looked up put his pen down and folded his hands in front of him.

"The major is quite angry with what she considers heavy handedness to convince her to be your...uhmm...paramour. Both you and I know that while you are interested in her, you've been alone for several years, she doesn't. I'm sure you don't want romance advice from me or anyone else, but, wanted or not. Major Kincaid needs to be treated with respect, professionally and I would suggest when she arrives later today you start with an apology and a promise to treat her as a fellow officer."

"Hmm." was all Hawk said pensively.

It's clear this lady has lofty career goals. I think she has designs on those stars on your shoulder. She sees getting involved with men like you, those in positions of power as people to impress. According to her assistant, Major Kincaid avoids dating anyone above Major, because, she wants to be taken seriously. If you want her to even remotely considering seeing you other than as a superior officer with her career in your hands, you're going to have to change your tactics. Treat her like an equal and avoid the arbitrary groping." Duke said hoping his commander understood he wasn't criticizing.

"You're right." Hawk sighed . "Of course, it took three of you to point it out." Duke looked at him quizzically, and then it dawned on him. Of course, Flint and Jaye would be involved somehow.

"I think, sir, you're heart is in the right place, so to speak, but, your tactics need a bit of work. And we're all just looking out for you, sir."

"I appreciate that." Hawk smiled. "Now, I have work to finish."

"Oh, of course, sir."

The hotel room not more than two miles from the base was not exactly what he had wanted. It was nice, but stark and didn't have more than a bed, a couple of lamps and nightstands and a dresser. A generic hotel room. But, it was off-base and secluded. It would be hard to find if someone went looking for him. Flint sighed as his fingers made lazy circles on her soft back, his other hand crossed behind his head.

"Mmm, that's nice." The lady in his arms said sleepily.

"Yes, you are." He pressed a simple kiss to the crown of her head. His lips softly touching the soft brown curls.

"What's wrong?" She pushed up off his chest to look at him.

"Nothing, just wishing I could've given you the ritz. Wondering how that Air Force Major is going to fit in with us." He looked at her.

"This is fine. And what are you doing thinking about another woman?" She feigned jealousy, she knew he had eyes for no other woman than her. The only time anyone other than her had ever turned his head. Well, except for the Baroness, but, she'd given him a love potion. So, that didn't count, not in her mind anyway.

"Hey, not that way." He laughed. "She so straight-laced. How is going to handle our team.?"

"Same way you, Duke and Beach do." She answered tracing the hairs on his chest, her green eyes locking with his.

"I don't think they make enough aspirin for that." He laughed as he kissed her tenderly.

"So, what's she like besides straight-laced?"

He wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. The woman had one nasty temper, much like the fiery woman in his arms. Beautiful without fault and intelligent. The only other woman who challenged him was the woman he loved more than life itself, though she didn't always know it. He rarely told her. Something Snake-eyes liked to point out on occasion. If he answered Alison's simple question like that, he'd be a dead man. And he'd rather fight that darned polar bear in the commander's arena of sport than face Al's wrath. Not that Major Kathleen Kincaid had anything on his Alison. In his mind, she didn't.

"Smart, tempermental. In fact, Duke and I decided her code name should be Spitfire. Her temper rivals yours sometimes."

"Temper, what temper? I don't have a temper." She smiled devilishly.

"No, of course not." He laughed.

"Is she as beautiful up close as she is from a distance?"

"You know, if I answer that, I'm a dead man." He laughed again as he framed her face, brushing the soft, short auburn brown hair from her face to kiss her.

"So, she is beautiful." She said as the kiss slowly ended.

"Yes" He sighed. "But, not as beautiful as you are."

"Good answer." She smiled. "Now, what time do we have to be at the base?"

"We have at least two hours and its a fifteen minute drive." He answered. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." She said as he began to slowly kiss him from his mouth downward.

"Al, you're going to kill me." With that, he flipped her over and slowly, torturously made love to her.


	14. Chapter 14

Kathleen stared at the paperwork left her by the sergeant and warrant officer until her eyes started crossing. She was fuming, how dare they assume she was willing to just transfer and in one day? Hell, the Air Force normally gave them at least fifteen days and already had someone in mind to transfer command to. But, more often than not, everyone knew about the change a month beforehand. There was no way that was in place in this case.

Not to mention, she had to pack up and move in one day? Granted she's been in the air force for fifteen years, three enlisted, four in the academy and the rest as an officer1 and could move in a week, she couldn't do it one day.

This was ridiculous, she thought as she grabbed the packet and marched over to the temporary office set up for the general across the base. This turkey had gone too far now and he was not getting away with it. She didn't care if he was a damned general now. His high-handed methods were out of hand and maybe other women fell for it but, she was not going to be one of them.

"I want to see your commanding officer, now!" Kathleen barked at the redhead seated at the desk in front of Hawk's office. She didn't even have her beret off and the door closed yet. The sergeant didn't bother to stand at attention, but, merely looked Kathleen up and down. "Does anyone in your unit have any semblance of military protocol knowledge? The last time I checked, Sergeant, when an officer walks in the room, you are supposed to at least stand, not look at them like an alien. Or did you not learn that in army basic?"

"Yes ma'am, we did learn that, you merely surprised me." Scarlett's voice was filled with a near false saccharine sweetness tinged with a southern belle accent and attitude as she answered the woman's question while standing. "Who may I say is asking?" So this is the great Major Kincaid, Duke's been talking about? Scarlett wasn't impressed and it didn't matter that she only really learned of the General's interest in the woman last night when she arrived to perform the background checks on the incoming security personnel. Not that she cared about that, per se. No, she cared about the security of the team considering she hadn't had time to conduct the background checks on this woman and the fifteen, well, ten plus five dogs coming onto the team. Though she was fairly sure the dogs would pass muster. The eleven humans, that was a different matter altogether.

"Major Kincaid. Sergeant O'Hara." Kathleen said through clenched teeth. "Your new security director if these orders are correct." She slammed the packet of orders onto Scarlett's desk.

"Yes ma'am." Scarlett's voice was dripping honey and it was still so sweet that Kathleen felt the need to check her blood sugar levels lest the venomous honey dripping from the redhead was capable of being absorbed through the skin.

"Thank you and Sergeant, lay off the sugar and condescension. I significantly outrank you and if I had spoken to a superior officer the way you are when I was a Sergeant, I would not be wearing these oak leaves. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Gone was the sugar as Scarlett knocked on Hawk's door.

"Enter"

"General, a Major Kincaid is here to see you."

"Ah yes, I expected her, send her in and Scarlett, can you get us some coffee, please." Hawk responded.

"Yes, sir." Scarlett responded. "Ma'am, the General will see you now and how do you take your coffee?"

"Thank you Sergeant, and I take mine black."

What a witch, Scarlett thought as she watched the Major disappear through Hawk's door.

"Major, good to see you again." Hawk stood, walked around his desk and extended his hand professionally to the woman. "Have a seat. I gather you are here to talk about your new assignment?"

"Yes sir. May I first say, this is definitely not the way to get me in your bed! Not that I would consider it, sir. I don't sleep with generals."

"I understand and I feel I should apologize. While I will not hide my desire to see you personally, my behavior has been abominable and inexcusable. It is not my normal behavior and I have no excuse for it." She blinked at him incredulous at his apology. "As for your transfer, I actually have little to do with that. I leave most of my personnel decisions to my First Sergeant and Warrant Officer, both of whom you met yesterday."

"Well, thank you for your apology. My statement still stands, I don't sleep with Generals. But, what exactly is the meaning of transferring my team and I in less than one day? There is no way we can do that. First, there's no one to take over for me." She said, still standing.

"Please, sit. I give you my word, I'm not going to take advantage of you."

"Fine, sir." She finally sat as Scarlett brought the coffee in and set it in front of the two officers, giving Kathleen the look of death.  
"Thank you Scarlett, and watch the look, the Major is joining the team and will be in charge of all security, including your section." Hawk stated. "I apologize for that, Sergeant O'Hara sometimes has a protective streak when it comes to the team. She's one of our founding members."

"Well, she's going to have to reign it in." Kathleen stated simply.

"I believe that if anyone can get Scarlett to do that, it's you, Major." Hawk said simply.

"Now, If I decide to do this, there are going to be a few ground rules."

Hawk interlaced his fingers on his desk and just looked at the Major intent on listening to what the lady had in mind. Of course, he was sure one rule was going to be hands off, and that was the one he didn't plan on following completely. But, he did plan on making her come to him, under her own terms. But, he was going to have her, but, she was going to have to want it and if she didn't, well, he'd have to live with that. But, if her words and Duke were correct, the feeling was mutual, but, she was holding back merely because of the rank difference. One that was just about to be a bit smaller. He was just waiting on the Air Force personnel division to update their records. He turned his attention back to the lovely major and her ground rules.

"Hawk in?" Lady Jaye asked as she walked into the office. "I've got his morning reports."

"He's in with that lady Major." Scarlett said with ire dripping from her lips like poison from a blade.

"Really? What's she like?"

"A witch." Scarlett said. "She lit into me simply because I didn't pop to attention the second she entered the room."

"Is that the only reason you think she's a witch?" Jaye laughed.

"Well that and she had this attitude that she was somehow better than me because she's an officer."

"Okay. Shana, what did you really do?"

"Nothing, I was nice."

"Hm hmm, so the southern belle sugar came out, did it?"

"Maybe a little."

"Well, that's better than you did with me." Jaye laughed. "You were such a bitch with me."

"Yeah, well you called me tawdry." Scarlett laughed.

"What do you say, we give this lady a chance? We are on an active Air Force base and they actually follow regulations we forgot."

"I guess, but, she didn't have to be so uppity about it."

"According to Flint, she's not all that happy with Hawk's interest in her. So, she's probably not happy with the transfer, either."

"I guess. Oh, how did last night go?"

"Great. When we get back to our quarters I'll show you what he gave me."

"An engagement ring?"

"No, but, I wouldn't mind one." Jaye laughed.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Scarlett sighed.

1Literary license, if this takes place during the early to mid 1980's, Major Kincaid would not have been an officer for eight years as the first women graduating the USAF Academy was in 1980.


	15. Chapter 15

Kathleen left the General's office actually surprised and with a bit of respect for the man. Not only did he not make a pass at her the entire four hours she spent with the man, but, she could see the amount of responsibility weighing heavily on the man's broad shoulders. He explained patiently the fight his specialized team had been created for. Oh, she knew a little about this terrorist group called "Cobra", but, she didn't really understand what their ultimate goal was. And the more she learned about the group, the more she became almost glad this man had chosen her for the team, even if she still believed it was because he wanted to get her in his bed, like one too many officers had in the past. She learned the man was well-respected and liked by his personnel, men and women alike. She learned that he treated every single one of them like they were his own children, and for some unknown reason, that warmed her a bit more towards the man.

At one point, she'd followed him to the medical office where one of his team members had been taken after becoming sick on the project x course. A course, almost every Air Force base had, that was used for team and leader building exercises. It was composed of various items from a large spindle to railway ties set apart from each other with the singular goal of navigating it without touching the ground and by using team skills. It surprised her when the man was told the reason the young lady had gotten sick was because she was four weeks pregnant, he was supportive instead of angry. Some commanders would've hit the roof upon learning that one of their team members were pregnant without being married. Not this man, he just told her he and the team would stand behind whatever decision she made and then offered to be present when she told the father. The young woman cried, wondering how she was going to do her job on the team, the General simply looked at her and told her, they could make concessions until the child was born, that she would still have a place on the team, no matter what. The glimpses she was seeing in the General told her, he genuinely cared about each member of his team and he knew each one.

"Major, I was about to get some lunch and have a meeting with my field commanders, care to join us?" Hawk stopped her as she walked out of the room.

"Uhm, I'm not sure, sir."

"Major, I'm not exactly asking, I need you to get an idea of what we need and that's at the top of the agenda."

"Well, in that case, I guess I will, sir."

"Very good, We're going off base since Duke, Sergeant Hauser, and Beachhead, Sergeant Major Sneeden, you haven't met him yet, aren't able to enter the Officer's club." He grabbed his leather jacket and walked out of the office, stopping by Scarlett's desk and looked not at the redhead, but the brunette instead.

"Lady Jaye, good you're still here, I need you to start the paperwork on Spitfire here, Scarlett, call up to the pit and have them prepare a private suite for her as well and then make time to help her move her things up to the pit along with Cover Girl and Lady Jaye, here."

"Yes Hawk." Scarlett responded.

"Ready Major?"

"Almost, sir, I'll meet you out by the car in a second" Kathleen said.

"Very well , don't take very long."

"Yes sir."

Kathleen turned to Scarlett after Hawk left and smiled. "Sergeant, I assume my being transferred to this unit will not be a problem for you?"

"No ma'am." Scarlett said simply.

"Because if it is, I'm going to say one thing, I don't care. I am being transferred here against my will, but, because I am a good officer, I am going to do my job to the best of my ability regardless of any feelings of jealousy you may have about any perceived relationship you may have with your commanding officer." Kathleen smiled the entire time. "I do, however, recommend that you remember that you are a sergeant and I am an officer and I expect you to treat me with the respect due my rank. Regardless of the personal illusions you may have about me or any 'relationship' that you may beleive exists between your commander and myself, because, Sergeant, first, there is no relationship and second, even if there were, it would not be beyond the regulations. Unlike a relationship between yourself and the General." With that, she turned on her heel and left both Scarlett and Jaye standing there, mouths agape.

"Damn! Has she got you pegged Shana" Jaye said.

"What!"

"Listen, we all know that as the first woman on the team, you're used to being queen bee, and Hawk's go to girl when he needsto go to various functions, and we all know you're Snake's girl. But, she's right, she's an officer and we do have to treat her with more respect than we may want to. "

"I am not the queen bee around here."

"No, that's why the first day I came here you just about tried to sting me. " Jaye laughed.

"Alright, so I'm a bit more used to being the princess, but, you're one of Hawk's favorites too."

"True, but, I'm not as jealous of other women as you are. And come on, doesn't he deserve to be happy too?"  
"Yes, he does." Scarlett sighed. "I just don't like her attitude" She scrunched her face up and said in a sing song voice two octaves higher than her own "I'm an officer and you're a sergeant".

"Shana, seriously, that has to be the most juvenile thing I've ever seen from you and you can be pretty juvenile at times." Jaye laughed. "Come on, admit it, you're used to being the highest ranking woman here and now, you aren't so, you're jealous."

"Just a little. But."

"No but's Shana, you get jealous easily and be honest, you like hob nobbing with the higher ups which, is probably going to stop now that he's got an officer to take with him.' Jaye smiled. "Come on, lets get some lunch and then start working on Spitfire's transfer."

"Fine." Lady Jaye laughed as her friend huffed out the word and sounded almost like she was going to stomp her foot and have a temper tantrum.


	16. Chapter 16

Hawk sat across from his new security chief watching her. Kathleen fell asleep on the C-5 not five minutes after take-off. It amazed him how this woman was able to drop off that quickly. Especially with the turbulence being caused by the storm that had formed in the western mountains. He was still fighting falling asleep. Even from across the cargo bay, he could smell her light floral and vanilla scent. It was driving him crazy. He studied her, wondering what it was about her that finally stirred his blood. He'd met a lot of beautiful women since his wife died and not one ever made him stand up and notice like this one did. In fact, he had been content to go it alone and only take Scarlett as his companion to various events. She was safe, not only because of her status as a sergeant, but, also because she was in love with Snake-eyes. He may have married his wife because it was the right thing to do, but, he did love her, always had, always will. But, his friends were right, it was time to move on. Flint came up to him about an hour and a half into the flight. "Sir, we'll be landing in about a half hour." The young warrant officer said. "Thank you. I'll wake Spitfire." Hawk said as he unsnapped his safety belt to move across the aisle. "Yes, sir." Flint walked away smiling, but, still shaking his head. Hawk sat next to Kathleen and slowly raised his hand to awaken her, touching her shoulder, she did the one thing he didn't expect, she turned in her sleep and rested her head against his chest. As she did, a spark of warmth spread through him from where her head rested. It was as if her skin could burn through the leather and cotton he was wearing. Her hair fell out of its bun and across her face, in her sleep she looked so peaceful and beautiful, lines in her face, though few to start with, were softened. He brushed the hair out of her face and pushed the urge to press a soft kiss to her forehead deep into his gut. "Katie...Come on, time to wake up." He whispered in her hair. "Hmm. I don't wanna." She murmured as he brushed the hair off her face again, this time letting his fingers graze across her hot skin. In fact, that was the first thing he noticed, she was hot and not in a good way. She was feverish, her skin burning his fingers. "Flint?" "Sir?" "Have Doc or Lifeline meet us at the airfield." He ordered silently. "Is something wrong, sir?" "Yes, it appears the Major is sick. She's got a fever." "Yes, sir." Hawk turned back to the woman in his arms. "We'll take care of you, Katie." He whispered causing Flint to smile as he walked away. Already, the General was taking care of this woman, He wondered if the Major knew just how lucky she was. Hawk was one of the best commanders he'd ever had. He cared about each one of his subordinates like they were his children. Of course, Flint was sure, the general didn't feel that way towards the Major. Which made her even more special.

The landing was as smooth as Wild Bill could make it, which pretty much meant, smoother than glass. Hawk didn't have the heart to try to get the woman to awaken, so he carried her out of the open nose of the aircraft. Doc and Lifeline stood waiting outside the aircraft.

"She's burning up, I don't know when it started, I caught it about twenty minutes ago." Hawk said as he laid her on the awaiting stretcher.

"Did she have any other symptoms that you know of, sir?" Doc asked as he started a quick look-see at the woman.

"Complained of a headache and then fell asleep about five minutes into the flight."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I could tell."

"Doc, she's got a bit of a wheeze in her chest." Lifeline said as he took the stethoscope out of his ears."Want me to start an IV?"

"Yes, let's get some D5W into her." Doc ordered. "Then, we're going to have to get that fever down." He looked at Hawk. "Do you know when this started?"

"No, if she had any of this before she got on the plane, I don't know." Hawk said. "I should've noticed."

"Why? How would you know, sir?" Doc said. "Did she say anything?"

"No, but she wasn't as lively as she usually is around me." Hawk sighed making Doc wonder about his commander. "Take good care of her, Doc." Hawk said as he walked away, his head down. "I will, sir" Doc stared after his commanding officer. "She's special to the General." Flint said simply. "Its about time." Doc said simply making Flint stare at the medical officer. "Hawk's been alone too long. I was beginning to worry about him." "Why? Many men lose their wives and live just fine alone." "Yes, they do, but, Hawk's not one of them. He's been getting a bit depressed the last couple of years. Oh, he hides it well, mostly in his work. But, when was the last time you saw him take a vacation?" "True. I always did wonder about that." "He doesn't take them because the last time he did, he lost his wife." Flint stared at the medic. "A lot of people don't know the whole story. Hawk won't tell anyone. All he ever tells anyone is that she died in a car accident, which is true enough. What he doesn't tell people is she was rushing home to see him before he left for his base again. He had been on leave. He feels guilty, even though she and their unborn child were killed by a drunk driver." "My god." The sound didn't come from Flint, Lifeline, Duke or any of the others standing there, but the woman laying pale, weak and sweaty on the stretcher next to them.


	17. Chapter 17

Doc looked up just in time to notice Hawk walk in. He was just finishing up his evaluation of the new member of the team. The sound of ripping fabric reverberated through the infirmary as he removed the fabric and velcro covered blood pressure cuff. Doc pulled the small ear pieces from his ears and quickly looked down to the paperwork in front of him, writing down the vital information he'd just collected on the young woman lying pale and still in bed. The rise and fall of her chest and rivulets of fever-driven sweat rolling down her face were the only indications she was, in fact,very much alive.

"How is she, Doc?" The General asked, worry filling his voice. That sound didn't surprise the medical officer, he'd heard it many times before, every time one of the team were injured, the general sounded the same. What took the doctor by surprise was the haggard look on the older man's face.

"She still has a fever and her breathing is becoming more labored. But, I have her on several antibiotics. I'm hoping that will help, but, I doubt it."

"Why do you say that? Do you know what's wrong?" Hawk was clearly concerned and more concerned than Doc had ever seen him.

"I think it's the good old fashioned flu." Doc responded simply. "But, it could be a number of different illnesses. I need to get more information to completely diagnose her."

"But she was fine when she got onto the plane." Hawk looked at the medical officer quizzically. "How could it hit that fast?"

"Not surprising. Everyone reacts differently. But, I can't be completely certain that's what it is. She came from New Mexico, right?"

"Yes, why?" Hawk looked at the woman, a woman looking so pale even her blonde hair made her skin look more pale, her pink lips standing out starkly against the colorless skin. She looked fragile, nothing like the fighter he's seen for the past two weeks, the woman who challenged him just by being. The woman, he was quickly falling for, if he hadn't already based on his behavior early in meeting her.

"Just a hunch I want to look into." Doc mused. "Did you see any mice in the area?"

"It's the desert Doc, there are mice everywhere." Hawk said simply. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"There's this new virus I just read about. It's called the Hanta Virus. I haven't seen a way to treat it, yet." Doc said simply. "But it supposedly mimics influenza."

"Could it be a Cobra trick?"

"Doubt it. It's spread by rodents."

"Well, is it serious?"

"Yes, according to the literature, it can be fatal." Hawk's eyes widened at that. "But, as I understand it if we catch it early enough, she has a good chance at survival. But, that's only if that's what it is and I just don't know yet." Doc placed a hand on his commander's shoulder when he saw the man's face drop. "She's normally healthy and in good shape. She has a very good chance, Clayton."

"I hope so." Hawk walked away with his head down.

Standing on the flight line, Duke stood nervously. Staff Sergeant Tiffany Wilkes, the woman he'd been getting close to over the past two weeks was arriving today. He'd already shaven three times since waking this morning.

"Wow, don't we look dapper, Duke" Flint said as he walked up to his friend. "Nice flowers too. I take it the future Mrs. Conrad Hauser is arriving today?" Duke shot his friend a look that, if looks could kill,, Flint would be dead several times over. Flint laughed.

"Yes, Wilkes is arriving."

"Are you still calling her by her last name?" Flint smiled. "I figured with all the noise coming from your room two nights ago, that would be a bit too formal."

"Well, not when we're alone." Duke actually looked sheepish.

"I should hope not. Hell, I don't even call Lady Jaye by her code name when we're alone." Flint laughed.

"Don't you have paperwork to do or something?" Duke ground out.

"Nope, just finished with it all." Flint laughed.

"Great." Duke said through clenched teeth.

"Yep, even finished the report for Hawk on our little trip and taken care of yet another Shipwreck, well, wreck." Flint rocked back on his heels, a self-serving smug smile on his face. "So, have you come up with a code name for your girlfriend yet?"

"Yes, I have. Bluebonnet."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope, Tiffany is from Texas, that's their state flower."

"That has got to be the corniest reason I've ever heard."

"Well, I also think it's a pretty little flower. Tiffany agreed to it. So, what's your problem with it?"

"Nothing, just that it's corny."

"Gentlemen." Just then, Shipwreck walked up to Flint and Duke. "Love the flowers Duke. Who's the lucky lady?"

"What are you doing here Shipwreck? Don't you have something to break?" Duke ground out ignoring the question.

"Nope, I'm here to meet the new recruits. I hear Airman Glazer is joining us."

"Yeah, so. Isn't she the one who threatened to feed you to her dog."

"Yeah, but I like it when they play hard to get. Besides Chloe loves me."

"She threatened to feed you to her dog, Shipwreck." Flint reminded the sailor.

"Chloe's the dog. Angie's the girl."

"Duke, it sounds like we got a defective dog." Flint said flatly.

"Funny, real funny." Shipwreck panned. "And Angie and I came to an understanding." Shipwreck looked at Flint. "So what are you doing here? Isn't Lady Jaye in the computer room?"

"Not that it's any of your business, I'm expecting some supplies coming in from Holloman." Flint replied.

The plane landed softly, smoothly and taxied up to the awaiting men. Flint almost laughed at Duke, he was standing there with perspiration beading along the edge of his hairline. He would've laughed except he almost felt sorry for the man. Heck, Duke's been so hung up on Scarlett for so long, it was good to see him finally taking an interest in another woman other than the redhead.

* * *

Just a quick note, The Hanta Virus was actually first identified in 1992 (according to the CDC) and at present, there still is no real cure for it.


	18. Chapter 18

Tiffany stepped off the plane, squinting at the bright light streaming into her eyes from the hot sunlight blanketing the desolate base. She slid her sunglasses onto her face in an effort to reduce the blinding light and its effect on her vision, vision that was slow to respond to the bright light after the darkness of the aircraft. She felt rather than saw the fur of her commander's dutch shepherd dog as it sauntered up to her leg. The female dog had originally been slated for training as a police dog, but proved to be too loyal to her handler, then Sergeant Kincaid and also proved to be too loving. Though the Air Force wanted dogs to be loyal, they wanted dogs that would be able to do their jobs without question and without being too clingy. Amelia, the dog was just that clingy with her owner. The tail was wagging fast enough to be considered a whip and almost fast enough for the tip to surpass the speed of sound, if it could do that. As Tiffany scratched the dogs silky coat, she squatted down to talk to the dog.

"Yes, your mom is here. And I'll get you to her as soon as I can, okay sweetie?" The dog's response was a vigorous licking to Tiffany's face. Tiffany laughed almost uncontrollably as the dog knocked her over. "Alright, girl. You have to let me up so you can see your mom." The dog now straddled her and Tiffany was laughing, shaking her head from side to side as she vigorously rubbed the dog's fur. "Come on Amelia, let me up." The dog stepped off of her and she stood up, grabbed the dog's leash and walked off the plane.

She found Duke standing there with flowers, some of the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen. She smiled, the man was one of the most romantic and sweet men she'd ever met. It was like he knew exactly what a woman wanted. Every time he did something like this, her heart melted more and she wondered again how she ever thought he had been larger than life, gruff and tough. Well, he was still larger than life, but, not gruff and tough as she had originally thought.

He was sweet and he loved to talk about everything under the sun. The week they had spent at her apartment or his temporary quarters, though she still wondered how he had gotten a billet in the temporary officer's quarters, had been one of the nicest she had spent with a man in her life. She could see herself falling in love with him. The only thing was, he moved slower than a snail on barbituates and she was getting frustrated. She had to get him to give in, and soon, Tiffany thought as she walked up to him.

"Hello, welcome to G.I. Joe, Bluebonnet."

"Bluebonnet, is he kidding?" Shipwreck leaned into Flint whispering.

"No, he's not. Apparently, she's from Texas and that's their state flower." Flint replied through the side of his mouth. He tried to be quiet, but based on the look from Duke, it wasn't quiet enough.

"Who's this?" Duke gestured to the dog at Tiffany's feet.

"Oh, this, this sweet little girl is Amelia, Major Kincaid's dog. Amelia, say hello to Duke." With that, the dog presented a paw and barked.

"Well, its a pleasure to meet you as well, Amelia. Well, let's show you to your quarters and then I'll take you to see Doc. All newcomers are being required to be checked out by the medical office because Spitfire, Major Kincaid, fell ill earlier today."

"Is she alright?" Bluebonnet said her eyes wide with fear.

"We don't know yet." Duke replied. "Oh, these are for you." He handed her the flowers.

"They're beautiful." She brought them to her nose and inhaled deeply. "Thank you." She reached up and kissed him.

"Whoa baby! Duke, you gotta tell me how you do that." Shipwreck wolf-whistled.

"Stow it sailor." Duke said with authority as he slipped an arm around Tiffany. "Let's go see Spitfire and Doc, then we'll have a talk."

"Okay. Can Amelia come? She may make the Major feel better."

"Sure, dogs are part of the team here. Unlike other parts of the military, we don't think of them as equipment." Duke smiled.

"Great. Come on Amelia, lets go see your mom!" Duke looked at Tiffany inquiringly. "Major Kincaid, Spitfire, that'll take a while to get used to, she considers Amelia her child."

"Oh."

They arrived at the infirmary to find Doc waiting patiently for the newly arrived security police and to find Hawk seated next to Kincaid's bed, paperwork strewn all over the floor and in his hands, reading glasses perched on his nose as he read a file in his lap, the faint sounds of medical equipment filled the air and an IV bag with fluids dripping ever so slowly into the clear tube inserted into the pale major. Tiffany gasped at the stark whiteness of her commander's skin, even her pale blonde hair stood out starkly from her face, her pink lips were bright against her skin. Hawk looked up at the incoming airman.

Amelia ran up to Hawk, sniffed at him slightly before sniffing at Kincaid, then she put her nose on Kincaid's leg. She then whimpered a second and looked up at Hawk, started to stroke the dog. "Hey, she's going to be alright." He said to the dog.

"Is she?"  
"She's sick, they've got her on antibiotics." Hawk responded. "So far, not much improvement, but Doc tells me the fever is going down. Which is good."

"What happened?" Tiffany asked. "She was fine when she got onto that plane. Well, she's been run down for a few days, and was coughing a little, but, fine otherwise."

"When did the coughing start? Was she coughing anything up?"Doc asked

"The coughing started yesterday, and I don't know." Tiffany said. "Wait, yes, she did. I remember her saying yuck, she said it was greenish? And then asked me to call the clinic. She was supposed to have an appointment today."

"Greenish, you say?" Doc mused.

"Does that mean something?" Hawk asked.

"It could. Had she been sick in the past month, have a cold?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, she had a slight cold about a month ago."

"That's great!"

"How is that great?" Hawk looked at the medic.

"It means I may be able to cure this. I will need to get a sample of her sputum, but, I think I know what this is." Doc left the room to gather his tools.

"Sir?"

"I don't know" Hawk turned to Spitfire and squeezed her hand, reassuringly. Reassuring who, her or him, Duke didn't know. "I just hope he's right. I can't go through this again." For the first time, Duke saw his commander as human, as a man. He looked drawn and tired and yes, very worried.


	19. Chapter 19

Duke walked Bluebonnet to her quarters. The quarters she was going to be sharing with Scarlett. This should be fun, he thought, The woman he was now dating living with the woman he'd wanted to date for so long, it hurt sometimes. But, she'd long ago made her choice and he wasn't exactly certain she even knew of his interest in her. She was often so lost in Snakes. The stories Scarlett could tell Bluebonnet. He sighed, he hadn't made the billet assignments. If he had, he would've put her in with Lady Jaye or Cover Girl, but definitely not Scarlett.

"These will be your quarters. You'll be sharing them with Scarlett. She's one of our intelligence experts and a martial arts expert."

"I think I met her, she's the redhead isn't she?"

"Yes." Duke said amazed at the memory of this new Joe. "She can be a bit jealous at times, likes to be the alpha female. Just give it right back to her and show her you can do your job and you'll be fine."

"Well, I've got a black belt in jiu jitsu and Karate, so, we might get along."

Duke laughed. Tiffany surprised him every time. "That you might."

"Would you like to come in?" Tiffany asked. "I'd like to talk." She opened the door and let herself in.

"Sure." Uh oh, this can't be good, he thought as he followed her inside. Closing the door, he turned to her.

"I just wanted to ask a question."

"Okay."

"Well, we've been out a few times and we've well, gotten a little closer, right?"

"Yes?" He dragged out the word.

"Well, I was wondering, I mean, well, do you like me or not?"

"I definitely like you, Tiffany." He smiled. Was that all it was, he thought. And it was his last coherent thought as she walked over to him, grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Well then, let's see just how much." She said into his mouth. "Which room is mine?" He pointed in the direction of one of the three doors in the room and she pulled him into it.

"Ah are you sure about this?"

"Oh yeah." She said as she pulled his shirt from his pants. "When do you have to be on duty?"

"Not for another hour, Flint's in charge right now." He said between kisses with a strained voice.

"Good. Show me just how much you do like me." She smiled devilishly and they fell onto the unmade bed.

Doc looked at his commanding officer, sleeping in the chair. Paperwork was strewn all over the floor where it had fallen when Hawk fell asleep. His reading glasses lay cockeyed on his face.

"Nurse?" He called to a young nurse reading the Major's chart.

"Yes, Doc?"

"Can you bring a bed over for the General?

"Yes, Doc. " The young nurse, who'd only been on base for under a week, said. Doc scrambled to try to remember her name. Ah well, it'll come to me, he thought as he looked at his commander. His commander was one of the best he'd served under. Hawk cared about each one of his team members like they were his own family and in a way, since he'd lost his own family, they were that family.

"General?" Doc tapped his commander on his shoulder in an effort to awaken him just enough to move him into the bed the nurse had just rolled in. Doc knew it would be a losing battle to get the older man to try to go to his quarters. Hawk rarely left his men or women when they were this sick. If it were a minor scrape or simple cold, the man would worry, but, if one of his people were this sick, this ill, almost to the point of whether he or she were in intensive care, there was no way he'd budge. Doc wondered sometimes if he should just create an office space for the General for these times.

"Hmm.." Hawk awakened slowly. "What? Is something wrong?"

"No sir, but, I had the nurse bring a bed in here for you. It will be a lot more comfortable than that chair, sir."

"Oh thank you." Hawk became a little more aware of his surroundings as he stood slightly to move over to the bed.

"She's improving, a lot, General." Doc said as he watched his commander remove his shoes and jacket to lie down.

"Good." Hawk yawned. "Do you know what it is?"

"I believe so. It looks like she contracted bronchitis or pneumonia. Can't be completely certain which without a sputum sample. I'm treating her for both, luckily they both take antibiotics and she's responding. The fever's down quite a bit."

"Good." Hawk looked at the woman in the bed next to him. She's only just gotten here and now this, he thought as he started to fall asleep.

Back in Bluebonnet's quarters, Duke laid with Bluebonnet in spoon-fashion, slowly, softly rubbing her arm.

"Can I just say, wow?" She said, making him chuckle. "And I still have to make the bed."

"Yeah, you may want to do that before you go to bed tonight." He smiled and placed a butterfly kiss on her shoulder. "And wow is right."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I still have to go on duty in a half hour and so do you."

"I know that. No, is the General like that with all his people or just Major Kincaid?"

"If we're injured seriously or sick enough, he's like that with all of us." Duke said. "One time he spent two days in the infirmary with Leatherneck after he was poisoned in the field."

"Wow."

"He's a good commander, one of the best. Trusts all of us to do our jobs well and doesn't act like he's better than we are because he's got stars. Hawk'll go into the field with us, you came into a good unit."

"Good. Hey, I think we'd better go take a shower and then get ready for work." She turned in his arms and wagged her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea."

Fifteen minutes later, Scarlett walked in as Duke and Bluebonnet were leaving the bathroom. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and interest. Duke merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders as the two left the women's quarters.


	20. Chapter 20

_One Week later-_

Spitfire, Kathleen shook her head trying to get used to that, stood in the control room standing behind Mainframe watching the myriad of monitors lining the room. She was looking for one particular thing, to date, she hadn't found it. Amelia, her dog, lay by her side, head between her front legs, napping noisily. Mainframe looked down at the dog and laughed.

"Is your dog always that noisy, Ma'am?"

"Yes, she is, sergeant." Kathleen sighed out.

"What kind of dog is she?"

"A dutch shepherd. A relative of the German Shepherd."

"She's pretty."

"Thank you" Kathleen glanced down slightly at the napping animal before squatting down to ruffle the dog's head. Amelia just opened one eye and looked up at her human, snorted slightly and then went back to sleep. Kathleen laughed as she stood.

"Spitfire, I thought you were still supposed to be in the Infirmary?" Hawk said as he strolled into the room. Kathleen just looked at her new commander and looked back at the screens.

"Your doctor released me yesterday, sir." She responded. Her voice held a little less derision for the man than usual. But, then in the last week she'd learned more about him. Such as, he cared about every member of his team, he'd lost his wife and unborn child in a car accident and still blamed himself for it, even though he hadn't been near the scene when it had occurred. Oh, yes, Doc had been more than willing to expound the man's qualities. She knew he had spent four days in the infirmary with her and then with two other members of her team who'd contracted the same form of bacterial pneumonia. The doctor was still trying to constrain where the infection came from, but, it appeared that Kathleen was one of the last to contract the disease and one of the most severe. That, Doc realized was due to her schedule and her stress levels. He did order her to take it easy, but, that didn't mean she couldn't oversee the implementation of her new security system.

"Well, don't work too hard. You gave us all a scare and we certainly don't want a repeat."

"Yes sir"

"Mainframe, any word from Snake-eyes and Snowjob about the Cobra activity in the Arctic?"

"Not yet General." Mainframe said simply. "But, we may have another problem. Take a look at this." He punched a few buttons on his computer, a screen flickered and they found themselves looking at a large volcano spewing out red hot lava and ash, a cloud of white hot rock, water and ash barreling down the steep flank of the mountain.

"A volcanic eruption, Mainframe, those happen quite often, what's the problem?"

"Aside from the fact that that cloud is headed directly for that town, look in the background."

Hawk fisted his hands when he saw what Mainframe was referring to. Two Cobra helicopters hovered not far from the caldera of the volcano from which the molten material was spewed.

"Cobra. They're behind this volcanic eruption? But, how?"

"Sergeant, what volcano is that?"

"It's..you're not going to believe this, in the Rocky Mountain State Park in Colorado. Not far from D.."

"Denver and Boulder, I know exactly where it is. I used to camp there as a child." Hawk finished. "And that town is Apex. I've got family there."

"But, how is that possible, all the volcanoes in Colorado are extinct." Spitfire mused aloud causing Hawk and Mainframe to look to her.

"I went to the Air Force Academy, remember? My major was in Geospatial Science* and I grew up in Boulder."

"Really? I'm originally from Denver." Hawk smiled. Mainframe rolled his eyes and then smiled at his commander.

"Ma'am, that is an excellent question, but, I think you'll find with Cobra, they have a nasty habit of doing things no one else can. I think Scarlett's exact words are 'Cobra has a nasty habit of doing the impossible'" Mainframe said simply.

"But, to control an extinct volcano? If I remember correctly, there has to be some form of molten rock under the mountain. There is none under Colorado, at least not anymore."

"Yeah, well, they managed to find some, Ma'am." Mainframe said.

"Mainframe, you and Spitfire here work on how that's possible and let me know. For right now, I'm taking a team out to Colorado to help evacuate the people in the area."

"Sir, I'd like to go." Spitfire stopped him.

"Kathleen, I know you do, but, you just got out of the infirmary. I'm not going to let you endanger yourself or anyone else if you have a relapse."

"Sir, I'm fine. And that's my home that's being threatened. Let me go." She pleaded.

"Fine, but, you stay by my side and you don't go anywhere without me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." She wasn't happy with that, but, she followed orders and as a commander herself, she could understand his reasoning. But, that didn't mean she had to like it. She thought as she followed him out. "Oh, sergeant, since Amelia seems to like you, would you take care of her?"  
"Yes ma'am." Mainframe reached down and ruffled the dog's fur as she stood." Hey, girl. Stay here, your master's gotta go." The dog whimpered, looked up at Mainframe and then to Spitfire and whimpered again and then just laid down and fell asleep again.

* * *

Note: Geospatial Science is a major currently at the Air Force Academy, but, I'm pretty sure they didn't have it in the 80's else I would've reconsidered my choice not to attend the school.


	21. Chapter 21

Kathleen stood stiffly at the General's jeep, a small duffle at her perfectly polished booted feet, a book in one hand, the other placed behind her back. With her woodland camouflage battle dress uniform creased to perfection and her stiff blue beret perched atop her perfectly coiffed blonde hair, she cut an imposing figure, Flint thought as he and his commander walked up talking about the recent turn of events in the General's home state, and as it turns out, the Major's home state as well. He watched as Spitfire snapped to attention as he and Hawk walked up, and promptly snap one of the smartest salutes Flint had ever seen.

"What do we know about the volcanic eruptions in that area, Flint?" Hawk asked his third in command as he absently returned the Major's salute. "Spitfire, you know you don't have to salute here, right?"

"Sir? No, sir, I wasn't aware of that." She dropped her salute as she cringed slightly, she wasn't comfortable with this whole codename thing and Hawk could see it.

"Also, you don't have to wear your uniform perfectly."

"I'm very proud of my uniform, sir, I worked hard for it. Not many women make it through SP school, sir. I believe I'll keep it." She said huffily.

"As you wish." Hawk climbed into the passenger's seat. "Spitfire, you're driving."

"Yes sir." Kathleen slipped into the driver's seat after throwing her duffle and book in the back, started the car and drove off after Flint climbed into the seat behind the General.

"Now, Flint? The volcanic eruptions?" Hawk prompted.

"According to the research, it's impossible. There are no active volcanoes in Colorado, sir." Flint said "And if it's not active, there's no chamber for the lava to come up from."

"That's not exactly true, Warrant Officer."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Flint's eyebrows raised in question and annoyance, annoyance that someone would actually contradict him.

"There's a dormant volcano located in Colorado." Spitfire corrected. "A dormant volcano is one that may not be active, per se, but, rather, sleeping. It can become active at any time." Spitfire stated. "There's still a magma chamber down there. And its only called lava once it erupts onto the surface."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, I looked into this." Flint countered.

"Warrant Officer, I'm completing my Master's in Geology at the University of New Mexico and my research has been on the volcanics of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Right in that area, to be exact." She calmly informed Flint, who just stared at her dumbfoundedly. Hawk looked at her sideways, it wasn't often that someone challenged the philomath Warrant Officer, well, except for his equally scholarly girlfriend, that is. This officer was definitely a challenge not only to him but to his staff as well. Inwardly, he smiled. He knew made a good decision to bring her aboard, even if his intentions weren't completely honorable, initially.

"So, tell me about the area, Major? How much damage could Cobra do?" Hawk prodded.

"Well, the only volcano that's erupted in the last 10000 years was Dotsero. It last erupted about 4000 years ago."

"If it erupted 4000 years ago, then how can Cobra have gotten it to do so now? Doesn't that make it extinct?" Flint asked.

"Actually, extinct means the volcano hasn't erupted in recorded times. And the fact that it could erupt now, well, that's not odd. The reason is that each volcano has its own recurrence time. For instance, Mount Shasta has a recurrence interval of about 600 years. There's another volcano in Sao Miguel that has a recurrence interval of about a thousand years."

"Okay, but, how can Cobra have gotten this thing to erupt?" Hawk asked.

"That is a good question. But, if the heat levels underground are what we think they are, then maybe if they send a nuclear warhead down there. Well, maybe. But, that's just supposition."

"Well, General, if Cobra can control the weather, why not be able to build a weapon that can trigger a volcanic eruption?" Flint mused.

"Well, they've done it. So the question now is, what do we do to stop it? Suggestions?"

"None, sir. We're just going to have to let the volcano go through its motions."

"Well then. Let's see if we can at least save a few towns and make a difference." Hawk said. "Step on it, Major." He slumped slightly in his seat as he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, a lecherous smile on his face. Flint followed suit in short order, leaving Kathleen to her own thoughts, the crackling of the jeep's radio and occasional military radio chatter that emanated from the second two-way radio and the two men's growling snoring for the next three hours.

She glanced over at the somnolent general and his third in command, both snoring rather loudly. She didn't want to wake them, but at the same time she didn't want to hear the snoring any longer. Though, at this point, she really wasn't sure which was louder, their snoring or her stomach. They had to stop, half the team had to use the latrine, a quarter had to eat and the other quarter including herself, had to do both. Quietly, she picked up the microphone and provided the order to stop at the next roadside café they found. And then prayed it wasn't going to be that far away. Based on the information she had her sergeant find out, they should be close to something, anything. She was holding her breath and her bladder at that moment. And there it was, the sign for the little pizza joint Wilkes told her about. As she took the exit, she found out she didn't have to wake up either gentleman. The change in engine noise was enough to rouse the men. And to full wakefulness no less. That, she marveled at. She couldn't even remotely function without at least two cups of coffee in her first.

"We're here already?" Hawk asked.

"No sir, we're about five hours out. But, the team needed a pit stop." She said simply.

"Understood, Major. In fact, I could use one myself."

"Of course, sir. We're also stopping for food, sir."

"Sounds good. Flint?"  
"I could stand to eat something myself." And check on Lady Jaye, he thought that one rather than speak it aloud. He knew that although the General was aware of their relationship, the Major wasn't and she was clearly a stickler for regulations. He knew she was stuck with a young female greenshirt that drove her crazy with all her questions. The young lady had latched onto Alison, Shana and Courtney the day she arrived and while all three women were happy to see a recruit taking such interest in the team, the teenager, she was still not quite twenty, was swiftly becoming a nuisance. Flint felt for his lady love, especially since he'd had the opportunity to sleep for the past three hours while she's been stuck loquacious youngster.

"Major, join me for lunch. We have a few things to discuss."

Hawk stated simply as he climbed out of the jeep.

"Sir, I was hoping to speak with my sergeant."

"Not a request, Major." He said simply as he walked away.

"Yes sir." She sounded dejected to him, as though having lunch with him was a chore, a disappointment. Had he really been that bad? Hawk wondered silently.


	22. Chapter 22

From the small grease trap the diner called a kitchen, two strangers, one wrinkling her nose at the stench of used oil and overcooked food, watched as the men and women filed into the hole in the wall. As expected, the known couples fell into the dilapidated yet serviceable booths lining the wall of the antique building. But, they were not of any interest to the strangers. Strangers that the waitstaff both feared and clearly despised, yet tolerated because of the weapons they shoved into their faces. No, it was the tall, authoritarian yet laid back man with a single silver star shining from his well-worn leather jacket that captured their attention. It wasn't in the plans of these strangers to make their presence known, no, they were here to watch the rag tag group of America's elite counterterrorist unit. They knew their plan would bring the team running to the aid of the state of Colorado and they knew the leader would tag along. After all, it was his home state and his family they threatened with the volcanic eruption they'd found they could trigger.

And what a feat that was, the tall striking brunette thought. It hadn't been easy to drill far enough down to implant a simple nuclear weapon with enough power to awaken the sleeping giant that had been the Desetero volcano. She snickered slightly at the thought that her leader had scoffed at Destro's idea and then, in usual style, took credit for something he was too stupid to figure out himself. She turned her attention back to the man walking in, seating himself at a corner booth, his back against the wall as though he expected someone to pull a "Wild Bill Hickok" on him and shoot him in the back of the head from the door while he held the deadman's hand of Aces and Eights. The corners of her mouth slowly rose up to a wry smile as she watched him walk in with a statuesque blonde. A blonde, she'd never seen before. She surveyed the man and his friend. Clearly, there was more than meets the eye, at least on his end. The woman, she wasn't sure about. She definitely had an attitude that screamed "don't mess with me", not to even mention the smart and crisp uniform that screamed military authority.

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting?" The woman said in a thickly Eastern European accented husky voice. "Seems our little chicken hawk is growing up."

"Hmm, we may be able to use that to our advantage." Her companion mused aloud. The waitstaff tried their best to not stare at the two interlopers, but, as one waitress pointed out, his make-up alone, a remnant of the band KISS, made it hard to avoid staring. His companion looked at him, evil glinting through her brown eyes, flashing off her glasses, and laughed, her laughter just as evil as the look in her eyes.

Hawk sat across from his new security chief, trying to figure out exactly what was going through her sharp mind. Did she think he was going to make a pass at her again, not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but, no, he wasn't. She couldn't think she was in trouble for speaking her mind. If anything, the fact that she was able to put Flint into his place, was a testament to the lady's fortitude. Heck, very few people challenged the Philomath warrant officer and he often threw his over-inflated intelligence around. Usually the only one to call him out on it was his girlfriend and that was because she had a higher intelligence quotient than the boy genius. No, she was definitely not in trouble for that. As a major, she outranked the Warrant Officer anyway. No, he wasn't angry about that, heck, he wasn't even angry at all. He was, however, a bit concerned for her welfare and her feelings towards him. He knew where his feelings still lie, he was still adamant to get this woman in his life. Although he was definitely attracted to her physically, something that had not happened since the death of Ann, physical and sexual attraction to a woman was something he thought was dead inside him, he was also attracted to her sharp mind and wit, her intelligence and admired her leadership. Even with his beliefs that women were just as capable in the field as men and should be treated equally, he sometimes questioned how many would be able to lead people into combat, knowing many good men and women wouldn't come home except in body bags. This woman, he didn't question her ability to do that. Oh, he knew she would be worried about the losses, probably feel each and every one she lost, but she could give the orders. That's what made her a good leader.

"Major, Kathleen, I…uhm, well, first, you're not in trouble and I promise that as much as I still want to, I'm not going to proposition you, at least not yet." He stumbled at first but ended with a wry smile.

"Then what did you want, sir?" She looked up at him.

"I want to know more about this volcano? How dangerous is it? Is there a way we can mitigate the problem? And then I want to know how you're feeling. You shouldn't have been driving that long, Flint could've taken over for a while."

"Well, I'm sure the damage could be great, the volcano is in the middle of a continent, but, then it's not under a subduction zone. It's an area of extension." She paused momentarily as she watched the General's eyes glaze over. "Okay, look at it this way." She picked up a piece of bread just placed there by a cute waitress who clearly was trying to flirt with the general. Taking the bread, she tried to show the basics of plate tectonic theory. "The earth is a lot like an egg with a semi-solid mantle, egg white and a solid crust, egg shell. The crust, or shell is broken in pieces but stuck to the mantle, egg white. These pieces sort of move on the mantle and they do it in three main ways. First, they crash head-on into each other and often, one piece dives below the other, that's a subduction zone. When it does that, it forms mountains and lines of volcanoes. Those volcanoes, like the Cascades of Washington and Oregon, are quite explosive as we saw a few years ago when Mt. St. Helen's erupted. In other areas, they pull apart from each other, these are areas of extension. Rifts like the East African Rift system form there." She illustrated each with a piece of bread. "In an extensional system like what we see in the Colorado and New Mexico area in the Rio Grande Rift is this extension, this pulling apart of the crust. In those areas, we often see volcanism there. The volcanoes typically associated with those types of areas is not usually very violent. But, seeing as how this volcano hasn't erupted for several thousands of years, who knows what will happen." She explained. "But, whether we can mitigate it, I'm not sure it can be done. I think all we can do is let it erupt and get people out of the area first. The eruption can be either gentle, well gentle as far as volcanic eruptions go anyway, which is basically lava pouring out or it can take out half the mountain. What it's going to be is anyone's guess." She sighed, indicating the conclusion of her thoughts.

"Great, so we have no real way to strategize for this, do we?"

"No sir, I'm sorry we can't."

"Now, the final question, how are you feeling?"

"A little tired, but that's about it."

"Well, take a break from driving." He turned around to face Flint. "Flint, you're driving the rest of the way."

"Yes, sir." The beret covered warrant officer replied before turning his attention back to the beautiful brunette seated across from him.

"How much longer do you have on your degree?"

"Oh, just the writing and defense of my thesis. But, that's taking a short backseat so I can finish Air Command and Staff College."

"How are you doing that and not while at the school, it's at Maxwell Air Force Base, in, what is it, again? Arkansas?"

"Alabama, sir. And they have a distance learning program. We read everything that's being lectured at the college itself and then take a test at the end."

"Ah, yes, Alabama, that's right. Distance Learning, hmm. I remember being sent to Army Command and General Staff college. Some of the hardest two years I spent. I'm glad I went though. I don't think I could've stood having to read the material and then take a test. Can't imagine that. I tip my hat to you." He smiled. "Now, about the other elephant that's in the room. We're going to discuss that in a more private setting. Away from my team. As much as I tell them a great deal, I still have some secrets I keep from them." He smiled again and she thought her sergeant was right, he was a very good looking man and based on what she saw around her, any involvement with him was likely to have no repercussions on her career. Heck, there was a sergeant dating a guy with no known rank who couldn't talk, a warrant officer dating a corporal, her own sergeant dating the unit's first sergeant and heck, she'd even seen a captain leaving a sergeant's room one night, fraternization was rampant here. How on earth it allowed for good morale, she didn't know, but, it did seem that there were no ill effects in morale or in discipline in this unit. No, she wasn't going there, Kathleen thought. She was sticking to her guns, no one over the rank of Captain, no matter how suave, debonair and handsome the man might be. Though the two times he did kiss her, her toes curled. No, she wasn't going there, she reminded herself one more time.


	23. Chapter 23

Kathleen watched Sergeant Wilkes, Bluebonnet, she had to remember to use the sergeant's new code name just as she had to remember to respond to her own, be led out of the diner by the team's first sergeant. She'd suspected the two were now an official item, but, she hadn't had proof. That was until now when she spied the top sergeant protectively place his hand on the small of Wilkes' back, saying something that made the young woman smile and flirt, tossing her head to look almost adoringly into the virile, masculine sergeant. Slightly, she sighed. What was it about the men in this unit? There wasn't a single bad-looking one in the bunch. And that included the General staring intently at her. In fact, she felt rather than saw the man's eyes bore into her soul. She knew to her core that if she let the man in, he'd never leave and she wasn't about to stake her career or her heart on the man.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" She looked up at the General.

"Certainly, Major."

"Why do you not have any problems with fraternization?"

"Hmm, that is a good question and a bit direct. I like that." He smiled an easy smile, one that put the suddenly tense major at ease. "I used to have an issue with it, when we were based at Ft. Wadsworth. When my people could leave base, they could go out and meet other people. There was no need for any real rules against it. Well, except maybe for Flint and Lady Jaye, they were about the only ones who violated the regulations. And they were good about hiding it, to a point. When that base was completely overrun, well, that was about the time I realized what I had suspected was true. By then, it was too late." He smiled. "You see, I'm a romantic at heart. They had already fallen for each other. I'm not about to break up two people meant to be together because of some rules. And I'm not about to destroy two very promising careers, though I still wonder why Lady Jaye is enlisted and not an officer, well, that's neither here nor there." He waved his hand in the air. "When we moved our base to the middle of nowhere, well, morale plummeted when I tried to enforce the rules. So, I stopped worrying about it." He shrugged. "It's not easy to have relationships with outside people when you're so remote. And it's not like everyone here is dating everyone. The couples that are together are pretty solid. Even if they do have arguments." He nodded towards Flint and Lady Jaye who were clearly having another argument. "They'll get back together in about an hour or so. Those two never stay angry with one another. And we don't have tons of kids running around, though, I kind of miss that. Not having any of my own, that is. We do have a few team members who are actually married to other people outside the team."

"Really? Well, I still don't agree with fraternization, but, after reading the army regs on it, I guess if you approve, who am I to judge. I mean, if this were the Air Force, there would be no way on Earth I'd allow it."

"Understood, Major. But, you should also know this. Flint and Lady Jaye are the only Officer-Enlisted couple I have. All others are either Officer-Officer or Enlisted-Enlisted. So, I only have to turn my head for one couple." He smiled. "And while some of them think I don't know about them, I do and they actually have the regulations on their side. Just like, there is no regulation that says you and I couldn't date."

"Sir, I think that's a bit out of line, don't you?"

"Major, I'm merely saying, there is no regulation against it. You already know I want you, and after eight years of no dating, I'm pretty sure, I forgot how." He laughed. "No, I have never been anything but honest with you. Yes, I want you, but for more than just dating or a mere dalliance as Flint would quote from one of his literature books. Dating is, well, a bit too immature for me. And as I said before, this is something we'll take up privately. At dinner tonight."

"Sir, I don't think.."

"It's not a request, it's an order. And no, I'm not ordering you on a date, Major. We have other things to discuss as well. Let's just call it a work meeting." He smiled. "And that's just what it is, a work meeting." He pulled a few bills from his wallet, smiled as he dropped them on the table and walked out. "You coming, Major?"

Inside the kitchen, the Baroness and Zartan watched the couple intently. Hawk's interest in this woman was definitely something they could use in the future. They just weren't sure how at this point. The Baroness reminded herself to speak with Destro later that night.


End file.
